Terminologies in crisis

Abstract This paper addresses the question of metalinguistic terminology from a cross-linguistic and cross-conceptual perspective. In the first part of the paper, the current crisis in terminology is analysed, with a focus on unthinking the dominant keywords and concepts of global Anglophone linguistics such as “language”, “creole”, “dialect”, and “variety”. Theorizing the problems of Anglocentrism and Eurocolonial dominance on metalinguistic practices, the paper turns to the contact zone as an area of conceptual innovation and terminological legitimacy. With a point of departure in three case studies from the South Pacific contact zone, the paper integrates insights from South Pacific keywords and local metalinguistic terms. It advocates for the adoption of a new multipolar metalinguistics and underscores the importance of incorporating emic perspectives into linguistic theorizing.