%0 Journal Article %T A Conceptual Aprroach to Language Contact: Bilingualism %A Georgiana Tofan %J DOCT-US %D 2011 %I %X In studies of language contacts, the bilinguism represents a challenge to explore different relations established between social and linguistic aspects. In this paper, we will give a bit of background to the case of social and individual bilingualism, making an attempt to observe some of the linguistic consequences caused by this phenomenon. Bilingualism is tightly linked to identity, including ethnicity, behaviour, attitudes. We have all witnessed different situations of language contacts, a defining feature of this process being the lexical borrowing, whose implications lead to lexical changes. %K language evolution %K social bilingualism %K individual bilingualism %K identity %K lexical borrowing %K additive bilingualism %K substractive bilingualism %U http://doct-us.usv.ro/article/view/120