LING 101: Pidgins & Creoles

Language Contact

Any sort of situation where different languages might interact/have contact

Example: Separate communities living in proximity

Language contact outcomes

• Language borrowing: taking loanwards, little effect on language

• Bilingualism

• Mixed languages

• Pidgins!

Pidgin Language

• Simplified lamguage that develops as a means of communication between speakers of different native languages who need to interact for trade, labour, etc.

• Arise in multilingual & contact situations where there is no shared language (lingua franca) among speakers

Lingua Franca

A language that is adopted as a common language between speakers whose native languages are different

Pidgin characteristics

• Limited in use: Trade pidgins emerged to facilitate trade relationships (language-specific terms to trade)

• Limited vocabulary

• Simplified grammar: lacks complex verb conjugations, tense distinctions, and grammatical gender.

Pidgin structure

• Limited in use

• Grammatically impoverished

  • Lacking grammatical markings for gender, number, case, aspect, tense, etc, (morphologically isolating)

• Reduced phonological inventory compared to the source languages

• Lack of native speakers

• 5 vowel system

• Consonant clusters simplified

• Syllable structure simplified (CV syllables)

Creole

Native language formed from a pidgin

Structure of a creole

Lexifier/superstrate + substrate = creole

Lexifier/superstrate

Language that provides basis for the majority of a pidgin or creole language’s vocabulary

• often a European language

List widespread lexifiers

• English

• French

• Portugese

• Spanish

• Dutch

Substrate

A language that has intrusive language influences, which may or ay not ultimately change it to become a new language

Features of creole languages

• Native language of a community/population

• Vocab primarily from lexifier language

• Emerges from intense language contact, often forced

• Relies on a single, accessible language (eventual lexifier)

• No formal teaching of language

• Simplified grammar (but grammatically complete) compared to its parent languages, often featuring a reduced number of verb conjugations, simplified syntax, and regularized morphology.

• Lacks a standardized orthography or writing system

• Can exhibit a continuum of varieties:

  • basilect

  • mesolect

  • acrolect

Theories of Creolisation

• Substrate theory

• Superstrate theory

• Universal theory

Theories of Creolisation: Substrate Theory

Creoles emerge from the previously spoken by enslaved Africans who imposed their structural features on the European substrate

Superstrate theory

• European structures were retained in the creole

• Other substrate contributions are marginal (isolated words)

But does not explain emergence of language

Universal theory

• Children = main contributors to creolisation due to exposure to pidgin at early age

• Process motivated by structural deficiencies in the pidgin: Universal Grammar fills in the gaps of pidgins

• Creoles originating where children are in greater numbers (plantation creoles) are structurally similar.

Creole uses

Everyday communication

Use sometimes carries specific connotations, these are contextual

• Identity marking a group

• To exaggerate something

• Conversation becoming more serious

Summary: Pidgin vs Creole

Pidgin

• Second language

• Restricted use

• Grammatically impoverished

Creole

• Native language

• Full range of uses

• Grammatically complete

• Spoken when lexifier is dominant language

Creole continuum

• Basilect (more similar to substrate language)

• Mesolect (intermediate)

• Acrolect (more similar to the lexifier language)

—> Place on continuum determined by proximity to superstrate/lexifier language