1. Introduction (by Braunmuller, Kurt); 2. Part I: Theoretical aspects; 3. Linguistic stability and divergence: An extended perspective on language contact (by Kuhl, Karoline); 4. Convergence vs. divergence from a diasystematic perspective (by Hoder, Steffen); 5. Part II: Empirical studies; 6. Stability and convergence in case marking: Low and High German (by Berg, Kristian); 7. Towards a typological classification of Judeo-Spanish: Analyzing syntax and prosody of Bulgarian judezmo (by Fischer, Susann); 8. Despite or because of intensive contact?: Internal, external and extralinguistic aspects of divergence in modern dialects and ethnolects of Dutch (by Hinskens, Frans L.); 9. Stability in Chinese and Malay heritage languages as a source of divergence (by Aalberse, Suzanne); 10. Does convergence generate stability?: The case of the Cypriot Greek koine (by Tsiplakou, Stavroula); 11. Gender and noun inflection: The fate of 'vulnerable' categories in Northern Norwegian (by Sollid, Hilde); 12. Dialect stability and divergence in southern Spain: Social and personal motivations (by Villena-Ponsoda, Juan A); 13. The Bergen dialect splits in two (by Sandoy, Helge); 14. Diachronic convergence and divergence in differential object marking between Spanish and Portuguese (by Dohla, Hans-Jorg); 15. Person index; 16. Subject index

Among the linguistic studies of contact-induced variation/change this book occupies an exceptional position. Whereas research on contact between languages and intralingual varieties traditionally focuses on convergence as a kind of natural effect of language contact and/or claims that stability is only possible when there is/was no contact at all, this book demonstrates that (1) language contact may go together with structural stability and (2) language contact may even initiate or reinforce diverging structural developments. It gives an insight into the factors and mechanisms which may trigger stability or divergence, including both sociolinguistic and structural parameters of language contact situations.