Pidginization versus second language acquisition
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Rajend Mesthrie
Abstract
This paper describes a mid-range (or mesolang) version of Zulu as a second language, acquired ‘naturally’ in a rural area by an Indian South African. Particular attention is paid to the morphology of an agglutinating target language, in relation to the acquisition of an elaborate system of prefixes and concords. Such mesolang morphological production is compared with that of an early interlanguage (basilang) user of a similar background. Both varieties are then contrasted with common features of Fanakalo, a pidgin with Zulu as its lexifier. The paper argues that the data do not support arguments for the similarity between processes of pidginization and second language acquisition – with a possible exception from the complexities of the Zulu tense system.
Abstract
This paper describes a mid-range (or mesolang) version of Zulu as a second language, acquired ‘naturally’ in a rural area by an Indian South African. Particular attention is paid to the morphology of an agglutinating target language, in relation to the acquisition of an elaborate system of prefixes and concords. Such mesolang morphological production is compared with that of an early interlanguage (basilang) user of a similar background. Both varieties are then contrasted with common features of Fanakalo, a pidgin with Zulu as its lexifier. The paper argues that the data do not support arguments for the similarity between processes of pidginization and second language acquisition – with a possible exception from the complexities of the Zulu tense system.
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Acknowledgments vii
- Introduction 1
-
Part 1. The sociohistorical matrix of language contact
- Population factors, multilingualism and the emergence of grammar 23
- The African diaspora in Latin America 49
- The sociohistorical matrix of creolization and the role children played in this process 79
- Creole as necessity? Creole as choice? 101
- Bahamian Creole English 123
- Linguistic commonality in English of the African diaspora 145
- Historical separations 177
-
Part 2. Sources of grammar and processes of language contact
- Some observations on the sources of AAVE structure 203
- Unity in diversity 225
- Krio as the Western Maroon Creole language of Jamaica, and the /na/ isogloss 251
- Number marking in Jamaican Patwa 275
- Variationist creolistics, with a phonological focus 305
- Pidginization versus second language acquisition 323
- Crosslinguistic effects in adjectivization strategies in Suriname, Ghana and Togo 343
- Author index 363
- Language index 365
- Subject index 367
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Acknowledgments vii
- Introduction 1
-
Part 1. The sociohistorical matrix of language contact
- Population factors, multilingualism and the emergence of grammar 23
- The African diaspora in Latin America 49
- The sociohistorical matrix of creolization and the role children played in this process 79
- Creole as necessity? Creole as choice? 101
- Bahamian Creole English 123
- Linguistic commonality in English of the African diaspora 145
- Historical separations 177
-
Part 2. Sources of grammar and processes of language contact
- Some observations on the sources of AAVE structure 203
- Unity in diversity 225
- Krio as the Western Maroon Creole language of Jamaica, and the /na/ isogloss 251
- Number marking in Jamaican Patwa 275
- Variationist creolistics, with a phonological focus 305
- Pidginization versus second language acquisition 323
- Crosslinguistic effects in adjectivization strategies in Suriname, Ghana and Togo 343
- Author index 363
- Language index 365
- Subject index 367
