The languages of the Balkans are a rich source of data on contact-induced language change. The result of a centuries long process of lexical and structural convergence has been referred to as a ‘sprachbund’. While widely applied, this notion has, however, increasingly been questioned with respect to its usefulness. Addressing the linguistic makeup of the Balkan languages, the notion of sprachbund is critically assessed. It is shown that a) the Balkan languages and the Balkan linguistic exclaves (Albanian and Greek spoken on the Italian peninsula) share similar contact-induced phenomena, and b) the principal processes underlying the development of the Balkan languages are borrowing and reanalysis, two fundamental and general mechanisms of language change.

巴尔干地区的语言是关于接触引起的语言变化的丰富数据来源。一个世纪以来词汇和结构趋同的过程的结果被称为“sprachbund”。尽管这一概念得到了广泛应用，但其实用性却越来越受到质疑。针对巴尔干语言的语言构成，对外语的概念进行了批判性评估。结果表明，a) 巴尔干语言和巴尔干语言飞地（意大利半岛上的阿尔巴尼亚语和希腊语）具有相似的接触诱发现象，并且 b) 巴尔干语言发展的主要过程是借用和重新分析，两个语言变化的基本和一般机制。