The formation of the Portuguese-based Creoles: Gradual or abrupt?
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John Ladhams
Abstract
Some years ago, Arends pointed out that little was known about the gradual development – or otherwise – of the Portuguese-based Creoles, despite the existence of some early texts. The situation has changed very little, and this article attempts to redress the balance by examining both the linguistic evidence through early texts, as listed in the appendix, and the available socio-historical data. For most of the Portuguese-based Creoles, early linguistic evidence is lacking, and any assessment of the gradual nature of the Creoles’ development must be made largely through the historical data. The tentative conclusions drawn are that development was not gradual, particularly because nativisation took place early on, and there was no extended period of imports to renew the slave population, which would have had linguistic consequences, as is the case with the Indian Ocean French-based Creoles, for example.
Abstract
Some years ago, Arends pointed out that little was known about the gradual development – or otherwise – of the Portuguese-based Creoles, despite the existence of some early texts. The situation has changed very little, and this article attempts to redress the balance by examining both the linguistic evidence through early texts, as listed in the appendix, and the available socio-historical data. For most of the Portuguese-based Creoles, early linguistic evidence is lacking, and any assessment of the gradual nature of the Creoles’ development must be made largely through the historical data. The tentative conclusions drawn are that development was not gradual, particularly because nativisation took place early on, and there was no extended period of imports to renew the slave population, which would have had linguistic consequences, as is the case with the Indian Ocean French-based Creoles, for example.
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
