Editing Language convergence (section)

== Results ==

Language convergence often results in the increased frequency of preexisting patterns in a language; if one feature is present in two languages in contact, convergence results in increased use and cross-linguistic similarity of the parallel feature.<ref name=":2" /> As contact situations leading to language convergence lack defined [[Stratum (linguistics)|substrate and superstrate languages]], the outcomes of convergence often resemble structures found in all the languages involved without perfectly replicating any one pattern.<ref name=":1" /> Language convergence is most apparent in phonetics, with the phonological systems of the languages in contact gradually coming to resemble one another.<ref name=":4" /> In some cases, the results of phonological convergence may be limited to a few phonemes, while in other linguistic areas phonological convergence can result in widespread changes that affect the entire phonological system, such as the development of phonemic tone distinctions.<ref name=":4" /> In contrast to the limited effects of lexical borrowing, phonetic, syntactic, or morphological convergence can have greater consequences, as converging patterns can influence an entire system rather than only a handful of lexical items.<ref name=":2" />