Startseite Chapter 6. Lost siblings
Kapitel
Lizenziert
Nicht lizenziert Erfordert eine Authentifizierung

Chapter 6. Lost siblings

Areal forces in the divergence of Krio and Pichi
  • Kofi Yakpo
Weitere Titel anzeigen von John Benjamins Publishing Company
Predication in African Languages
Ein Kapitel aus dem Buch Predication in African Languages

Abstract

The two related English-lexifier creole languages Krio (Sierra Leone) and Pichi (Equatorial Guinea) have diverged due to differing contact ecologies since their split in the 19th century. Krio is spoken alongside its lexifier English as well as Atlantic and Mande adstrates. Pichi is spoken alongside Bantu adstrates and has been in contact with its superstrate Spanish, but not with English. I analyse and compare tense, aspect, and mood categories as well as participant marking and serial verb constructions to show that (a) Krio has become more similar to English than Pichi to Spanish because existing overlaps between creole and lexifier forms have facilitated transfer; (b) both Krio and Pichi have, respectively, aligned themselves with the Macro-Sudan and Bantu spread zone typological profiles of their ecologies. I interpret the findings via the stratal-areal contact model (Yakpo 2017a) to explain the divergence of Krio and Pichi as part of the differentiation of the whole African Caribbean English Creole cluster.

Abstract

The two related English-lexifier creole languages Krio (Sierra Leone) and Pichi (Equatorial Guinea) have diverged due to differing contact ecologies since their split in the 19th century. Krio is spoken alongside its lexifier English as well as Atlantic and Mande adstrates. Pichi is spoken alongside Bantu adstrates and has been in contact with its superstrate Spanish, but not with English. I analyse and compare tense, aspect, and mood categories as well as participant marking and serial verb constructions to show that (a) Krio has become more similar to English than Pichi to Spanish because existing overlaps between creole and lexifier forms have facilitated transfer; (b) both Krio and Pichi have, respectively, aligned themselves with the Macro-Sudan and Bantu spread zone typological profiles of their ecologies. I interpret the findings via the stratal-areal contact model (Yakpo 2017a) to explain the divergence of Krio and Pichi as part of the differentiation of the whole African Caribbean English Creole cluster.

Heruntergeladen am 16.9.2025 von https://www.degruyterbrill.com/document/doi/10.1075/slcs.235.06yak/html
Button zum nach oben scrollen