contact (adj./n.) 

A term used in SOCIOLINGUISTICS to refer to a situation of geographical continuity or close social proximity (and thus of mutual influence) between LANGUAGES or DIALECTS. The result of contact situations can be seen linguistically, in the growth of LOAN words, patterns of PHONOLOGICAL and GRAMMATICAL change, mixed forms of language (such as CREOLES and PIDGINS), and a general increase in bilingualism of various kinds. In a restricted sense, languages are said to be ‘in contact’ if they are used alternately by the same persons, i.e. bilinguals. The term contact language or contact vernacular is also sometimes used to refer to a pidgin.

A term used by some GRAMMARIANS to describe a type of RELATIVE CLAUSE with no relative PRONOUN, and where the clause is thus directly ‘in contact’ with the HEAD NOUN (e.g. the book I bought): a contact clause or contact relative. In the context of GENERATIVE grammar, these clauses have no OVERT COMPLEMENTIZER nor an overt WH-PHRASE.

A term used in PHONETICS to refer to any point in the process of ARTICULATION where one articulator touches another. The BLADE of the TONGUE, for example, makes contact with the alveolar ridge during the articulation of [t].