Pidgin and Creole Languages

Dr. Suzanne Bardeas smbardeas@uqu.edu.sa

Umm Al-Qura University

02/08/1431

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Outline
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Lingua Francas Pidgins and Creoles: Denitions Geographical Distribution Linguistic Characteristics Theories of Origin From Pidgin to Creole and Beyond

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Lingua Francas Pidgins and Creoles: Denitions Geographical Distribution Linguistic Characteristics Theories of Origin From Pidgin to Creole and Beyond

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UNESCO (1953): a language which is used habitually by people whose mother tongues are different in order to facilitate communication between them

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UNESCO (1953): a language which is used habitually by people whose mother tongues are different in order to facilitate communication between them trade language, contact language, international language, auxiliary language

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UNESCO (1953): a language which is used habitually by people whose mother tongues are different in order to facilitate communication between them trade language, contact language, international language, auxiliary language A lingua franca can be spoken in a variety of ways.

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Lingua Francas Pidgins and Creoles: Denitions Geographical Distribution Linguistic Characteristics Theories of Origin From Pidgin to Creole and Beyond

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Pidgin

Holme (1988, pp. 4-5) a reduced language that results from extended contact between groups of people with no language in common; it evolves when they need some means of verbal communication, perhaps for trade, but no group learns the native language of any other group for social reasons that may include lack of trust or of close contact

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Pidgin

The process of pidginization involves at least three languages, with one more dominant than the others

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Pidgin

The process of pidginization involves at least three languages, with one more dominant than the others The Common view is that pidgins are bad versions of other languages. This is wrong!

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Creole

a pidgin that has become the rst language of a new generation of speakers

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Creole

a pidgin that has become the rst language of a new generation of speakers Holmes (1992, p.95): A creole is a pidgin which has expanded in structure and vocabulary to express the range of meanings and serve the range of functions required of a rst language

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Pidginization vs. Creolization

Pidginization: simplication: morphology, syntax, tolerance of phonological variation, reduction in functions, and extensive borrowing from local mother-tongues

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Pidginization vs. Creolization

Pidginization: simplication: morphology, syntax, tolerance of phonological variation, reduction in functions, and extensive borrowing from local mother-tongues Creolization: expansion of morphology and syntax, regularization of phonology, increase in functions, development of stable vocabulary

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Lingua Francas Pidgins and Creoles: Denitions Geographical Distribution Linguistic Characteristics Theories of Origin From Pidgin to Creole and Beyond

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mainly, but not exclusively, in the equatorial belt. e.g. the Caribbean, north and east coasts of South America, west coast of Africa (trade)

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Lingua Francas Pidgins and Creoles: Denitions Geographical Distribution Linguistic Characteristics Theories of Origin From Pidgin to Creole and Beyond

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sounds are fewer and less complicated in their congurations. For example, Tok Pisin (New Guinea): 5 vowels, fewer consonants (sip (ship) vs. sipsip (sheep))

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sounds are fewer and less complicated in their congurations. For example, Tok Pisin (New Guinea): 5 vowels, fewer consonants (sip (ship) vs. sipsip (sheep)) no morphophonemic variation in pidgins (e.g. space, spacious), developed in creoles

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sounds are fewer and less complicated in their congurations. For example, Tok Pisin (New Guinea): 5 vowels, fewer consonants (sip (ship) vs. sipsip (sheep)) no morphophonemic variation in pidgins (e.g. space, spacious), developed in creoles a copmlete lack of inection. For example, pronouns are not distinguished by case

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sounds are fewer and less complicated in their congurations. For example, Tok Pisin (New Guinea): 5 vowels, fewer consonants (sip (ship) vs. sipsip (sheep)) no morphophonemic variation in pidgins (e.g. space, spacious), developed in creoles a copmlete lack of inection. For example, pronouns are not distinguished by case Simplied sentence structure. For example, no embedding, use of particles for negation or tense

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sounds are fewer and less complicated in their congurations. For example, Tok Pisin (New Guinea): 5 vowels, fewer consonants (sip (ship) vs. sipsip (sheep)) no morphophonemic variation in pidgins (e.g. space, spacious), developed in creoles a copmlete lack of inection. For example, pronouns are not distinguished by case Simplied sentence structure. For example, no embedding, use of particles for negation or tense vocabulary: reduced, techniques (e.g. repetition) to avoid confusion. In Tok Pisin: hair is gras bilong het, beard is gras bilong fes
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Lingua Francas Pidgins and Creoles: Denitions Geographical Distribution Linguistic Characteristics Theories of Origin From Pidgin to Creole and Beyond

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Easy to refute

lack of ability to learn standard languages

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Easy to refute

lack of ability to learn standard languages Europeans simplifying their language (foreigner-talk)

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Polygenesis

different origins, similar circumstances

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Monogenetics

McWhorter (1995) one origin, retain structure, change vocabulary (relexication)

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Monogenetics

McWhorter (1995) one origin, retain structure, change vocabulary (relexication) Objection: similarities are generals, assumes speakers are able to learn grammars without vocabulary

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Bioprogram

Bickerton (1983) universal principles of rst language acquisition

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Lingua Francas Pidgins and Creoles: Denitions Geographical Distribution Linguistic Characteristics Theories of Origin From Pidgin to Creole and Beyond

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Creolization

assimilation and reduction (faster speech): ma bilong mi - mamblomi

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Creolization

assimilation and reduction (faster speech): ma bilong mi - mamblomi expansion of vocabulary, shorter words: paitman (ghter), man bilong pait

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Creolization

assimilation and reduction (faster speech): ma bilong mi - mamblomi expansion of vocabulary, shorter words: paitman (ghter), man bilong pait borrowing of technical vocabulary

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Creolization

assimilation and reduction (faster speech): ma bilong mi - mamblomi expansion of vocabulary, shorter words: paitman (ghter), man bilong pait borrowing of technical vocabulary tense system. e.g. bin: past, bai: future

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Creolization

assimilation and reduction (faster speech): ma bilong mi - mamblomi expansion of vocabulary, shorter words: paitman (ghter), man bilong pait borrowing of technical vocabulary tense system. e.g. bin: past, bai: future greater sentence complexity, e.g. relative clauses

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creole continuum: acrolet (close to standard), basilect (different), mesolects (in between) diglossic (different languages involved) decreolization: strong inuence of the standard

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