Individuals, populations, and timespace

In the present article we distinguish the concept ofecology of languageas articulated inMufwene (2001ff)from that ofecolinguisticsdeveloped especially byMühlhäusler (1996ff),Fill and Mühlhäusler (2001),Couto (2009), and several contributors toFill and Benz (to appear). We explain how Mufwene’secology of languageconcept, inspired primarily by macroecology, applies to language evolution. We articulate various factors internal and external to a language that bear on how it emerged phylogenetically, underwent particular structural changes, and, in some cases, may have speciated into separate varieties. The external ecology also influences the vitality of languages, rolling the dice on whether they thrive or are endangered. Because these particular phenomena have been elaborately discussed in Mufwene’s earlier publications, we devote more space to explaining how the notion oflanguage ecology, as others call it, also applies as a useful heuristic tool to qualitative sociolinguistics.