John Benjamins Publishing Company
9. Pidginisation and creolisation
Abstract
A simplified variety of a language may come about as an “emergency language” for communicative functions in multilingual settings where speakers with different linguistic backgrounds meet. These so-called pidginised forms emerge essentially between second-language learners for whom the input from the contact jargon is insufficient to become fluent speakers. Moreover, such contact media typically are learned by adults, usually in contexts of broader communication. Pidginisation thus results from incomplete acquisition of a grammar and lexicon, i.e. the learning of a language “in chunks”. This chapter discusses the social conditions under which such processes take place, and it also analyses the linguistic outcome of this contact phenomenon, including the development of pidginised language forms into fully-fledged (“creolised”) grammatical systems.
Abstract
A simplified variety of a language may come about as an “emergency language” for communicative functions in multilingual settings where speakers with different linguistic backgrounds meet. These so-called pidginised forms emerge essentially between second-language learners for whom the input from the contact jargon is insufficient to become fluent speakers. Moreover, such contact media typically are learned by adults, usually in contexts of broader communication. Pidginisation thus results from incomplete acquisition of a grammar and lexicon, i.e. the learning of a language “in chunks”. This chapter discusses the social conditions under which such processes take place, and it also analyses the linguistic outcome of this contact phenomenon, including the development of pidginised language forms into fully-fledged (“creolised”) grammatical systems.
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Preface ix
- Figures xiii
- Maps xv
- Tables xvii
-
Part I. The comparative method
- 1. Explaining similarities 3
- 2. Explaining sound change 23
- 3. Classification and subclassification techniques 59
- 4. Morphosyntactic changes 93
- 5. Semantic change 115
- 6. Internal reconstruction 141
- 7. Language-internal variation 153
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Part II. The linguistic manifestation of contact
- 8. Borrowing 179
- 9. Pidginisation and creolisation 213
- 10. Syncretic languages 237
- 11. Language contraction and language shift 253
- 12. Language contact phenomena and genetic classification 265
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Part III. Studying language change in a wider contex
- 13. Language typology and reconstruction 283
- 14. Remote relationships and genetic diversity on the African continent 307
- 15. Language and history 333
- 16. Some ecological properties of language development 347
- References 373
- Appendix 407
- Language and language family index 409
- Subject index 419
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Preface ix
- Figures xiii
- Maps xv
- Tables xvii
-
Part I. The comparative method
- 1. Explaining similarities 3
- 2. Explaining sound change 23
- 3. Classification and subclassification techniques 59
- 4. Morphosyntactic changes 93
- 5. Semantic change 115
- 6. Internal reconstruction 141
- 7. Language-internal variation 153
-
Part II. The linguistic manifestation of contact
- 8. Borrowing 179
- 9. Pidginisation and creolisation 213
- 10. Syncretic languages 237
- 11. Language contraction and language shift 253
- 12. Language contact phenomena and genetic classification 265
-
Part III. Studying language change in a wider contex
- 13. Language typology and reconstruction 283
- 14. Remote relationships and genetic diversity on the African continent 307
- 15. Language and history 333
- 16. Some ecological properties of language development 347
- References 373
- Appendix 407
- Language and language family index 409
- Subject index 419
