Sarah Thomason

===Current work===

===Current work===

Thomason is also known for her contributions to the study of [[Native American languages]]. Thomason's interest in these languages started with her studies on [[pidgin]] languages, specifically pidgin Delaware, derived from [[Delaware languages]], and [[Chinook jargon]]. She later became interested in [[Salishan languages]], a field that she has been studying for over thirty years. She has spent every summer since 1980 studying [[Montana Salish]], also known as the Salish-Pend d'Oreille language, talking with its last fluent speakers for [[Language documentation|documentation]], as well as creating a dictionary and materials for the Salish and Pend d'Oreille Culture Committee language program.{{cite journal |last1=Thomason |first1=Sarah G. |date=January 14, 2022 |title=How I Got Here and Where I'm Going Next |journal=Annual Review of Linguistics |volume=8 |issue=1 |pages=1–17 |doi=10.1146/annurev-linguistics-032620-045855 |issn=2333-9683 |doi-access=free }}

Thomason is also known for her contributions to the study of [[Native American languages]]. Thomason's interest in these languages started with her studies on [[pidgin]] languages, specifically pidgin Delaware, derived from [[Delaware languages]], and [[Chinook Jargon]]. She later became interested in [[Salishan languages]], a field that she has been studying for over thirty years. She has spent every summer since 1980 studying [[Montana Salish]], also known as the Salish-Pend d'Oreille language, talking with its last fluent speakers for [[Language documentation|documentation]], as well as creating a dictionary and materials for the Salish and Pend d'Oreille Culture Committee language program.{{cite journal |last1=Thomason |first1=Sarah G. |date=January 14, 2022 |title=How I Got Here and Where I'm Going Next |journal=Annual Review of Linguistics |volume=8 |issue=1 |pages=1–17 |doi=10.1146/annurev-linguistics-032620-045855 |issn=2333-9683 |doi-access=free }}

Thomason has argued that language change could be a product of deliberate action driven by its speakers, who may consciously create dramatic changes in their usage, if strong motivation is present. This view challenges the current assumption in historical linguistics that, on one hand, deliberate language change can only produce minor changes to a language, and, on the other, that an individual on his or her own is not able to produce language change. While she admits that the permanence of the change is dependent on social and linguistic probability, she emphasizes these factors do not invalidate the possibility of permanent change occurring. Thomason argues that under a situation of language contact bilingual speakers can adapt loanwords to their language structure, and that speakers are also capable of rejecting changes to the structure of their language. Both of these cases show conscious and deliberate actions from the part of the speakers to change their language.{{cite web| url=https://www-personal.umich.edu/~thomason/temp/dlibch.pdf|title=Language Contact and Deliberate Change|accessdate=October 12, 2014}}

Thomason has argued that language change could be a product of deliberate action driven by its speakers, who may consciously create dramatic changes in their usage, if strong motivation is present. This view challenges the current assumption in historical linguistics that, on one hand, deliberate language change can only produce minor changes to a language, and, on the other, that an individual on his or her own is not able to produce language change. While she admits that the permanence of the change is dependent on social and linguistic probability, she emphasizes these factors do not invalidate the possibility of permanent change occurring. Thomason argues that under a situation of language contact bilingual speakers can adapt loanwords to their language structure, and that speakers are also capable of rejecting changes to the structure of their language. Both of these cases show conscious and deliberate actions from the part of the speakers to change their language.{{cite web| url=https://www-personal.umich.edu/~thomason/temp/dlibch.pdf|title=Language Contact and Deliberate Change|accessdate=October 12, 2014}}