Typology of creole phonology
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Thomas B. Klein
Abstract
This paper reports on the analysis of a typological database of creole phoneme inventories and surface syllables. The sample encompasses a balanced set of creole languages lexified by Indo-European and non-Indo-European languages. The results of the analysis demonstrate that most creole languages exhibit between twenty and thirty-seven contrastive segments, between five and seven phonemic vowel qualities, and between two and three stop series. No creoles show only CV, and many display CCVC surface syllables. These features are quite unremarkable in comparison with non-creole languages around the world, but they represent significant evidence against claims that the structure of creole languages is especially simple. Instead, creole languages cluster in the typological middle.
Abstract
This paper reports on the analysis of a typological database of creole phoneme inventories and surface syllables. The sample encompasses a balanced set of creole languages lexified by Indo-European and non-Indo-European languages. The results of the analysis demonstrate that most creole languages exhibit between twenty and thirty-seven contrastive segments, between five and seven phonemic vowel qualities, and between two and three stop series. No creoles show only CV, and many display CCVC surface syllables. These features are quite unremarkable in comparison with non-creole languages around the world, but they represent significant evidence against claims that the structure of creole languages is especially simple. Instead, creole languages cluster in the typological middle.
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Introduction 1
- Creoles are typologically distinct from non-creoles 9
- Typologizing grammatical complexities 47
- Pidgin-creoles as a scattered sprachbund 95
- Creolization and admixture 141
- The Gulf of Guinea Creoles 163
- Typology of creole phonology 207
- The typology of Caribbean Creole reduplication 245
- Language index 269
- Subject index 277
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Introduction 1
- Creoles are typologically distinct from non-creoles 9
- Typologizing grammatical complexities 47
- Pidgin-creoles as a scattered sprachbund 95
- Creolization and admixture 141
- The Gulf of Guinea Creoles 163
- Typology of creole phonology 207
- The typology of Caribbean Creole reduplication 245
- Language index 269
- Subject index 277
