Development of a creole lexicon
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George L. Huttar
Abstract
This paper explores the contribution of lexical research, with particular regard to Ndyuka of Suriname, to evaluation of Arends’ gradualist hypothesis of creolization. The number and semantic nature of 195 Ndyuka lexical items from different relevant African groups of languages are compared. The results are evaluated in light of our knowledge, thanks largely to Arends’ work, of when speakers of each group were numerically most dominant among slaves in Suriname. The results show continued growth of the African-derived part of the Ndyuka lexicon over several generations. Although this lexical inventory does not comprise a structural phenomenon to the same degree as creole syntactic and phonological systems, this conclusion provides indirect support for the gradualist hypothesis.
Abstract
This paper explores the contribution of lexical research, with particular regard to Ndyuka of Suriname, to evaluation of Arends’ gradualist hypothesis of creolization. The number and semantic nature of 195 Ndyuka lexical items from different relevant African groups of languages are compared. The results are evaluated in light of our knowledge, thanks largely to Arends’ work, of when speakers of each group were numerically most dominant among slaves in Suriname. The results show continued growth of the African-derived part of the Ndyuka lexicon over several generations. Although this lexical inventory does not comprise a structural phenomenon to the same degree as creole syntactic and phonological systems, this conclusion provides indirect support for the gradualist hypothesis.
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Maps ix
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Introductory words
- One more cup of coffee: On Gradual Creolization 3
- Jacques Arends' model of gradual creolization 13
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Part 1. Linguistic analysis
- Productive bimorphemic structures and the concept of gradual creolization 27
- Gradual vs. abrupt creolization and recent changes in Daman Creole Portuguese 55
- Gradual restructuring in Ecuadorian Quechua 77
- A note on the process of lexical diffusion in the development of creoles: The case of double-object verbs 101
- Change in the possessive system of French Caribbean Creole languages 113
- The origin and development of possibility in the creoles of Suriname 129
- The Saramaccan lexicon: Verbs 155
- Development of a creole lexicon 173
- Gradualism in the transfer of tone spread rules in Saramaccan 189
- In search of a submerged phonology: The case of early Cape Dutch Pidgin 219
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Part 2. Sociohistorical reconstruction
- Bilingualism and creolization in Solomon Islands 245
- Lingua Franca in West Africa? An evaluation of the sociohistorical and metalinguistic evidence 257
- The formation of the Portuguese-based Creoles: Gradual or abrupt? 279
- English-speaking in early Surinam? 305
- The demographic context of creolization in early English Jamaica, 1655-1700 327
- The founder principle and Anguilla's homestead society 349
- Demographic factors in the formation of French Guianese Creole 373
- Index 389
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Maps ix
-
Introductory words
- One more cup of coffee: On Gradual Creolization 3
- Jacques Arends' model of gradual creolization 13
-
Part 1. Linguistic analysis
- Productive bimorphemic structures and the concept of gradual creolization 27
- Gradual vs. abrupt creolization and recent changes in Daman Creole Portuguese 55
- Gradual restructuring in Ecuadorian Quechua 77
- A note on the process of lexical diffusion in the development of creoles: The case of double-object verbs 101
- Change in the possessive system of French Caribbean Creole languages 113
- The origin and development of possibility in the creoles of Suriname 129
- The Saramaccan lexicon: Verbs 155
- Development of a creole lexicon 173
- Gradualism in the transfer of tone spread rules in Saramaccan 189
- In search of a submerged phonology: The case of early Cape Dutch Pidgin 219
-
Part 2. Sociohistorical reconstruction
- Bilingualism and creolization in Solomon Islands 245
- Lingua Franca in West Africa? An evaluation of the sociohistorical and metalinguistic evidence 257
- The formation of the Portuguese-based Creoles: Gradual or abrupt? 279
- English-speaking in early Surinam? 305
- The demographic context of creolization in early English Jamaica, 1655-1700 327
- The founder principle and Anguilla's homestead society 349
- Demographic factors in the formation of French Guianese Creole 373
- Index 389
