Language Contact Flashcards
What is the definition of a Pidgin?
Contact language arising when two groups need to communicate but don’t have a lingua franca, instead they develop a new working language out of simplified elements of each other’s languages
What are the origins and functions of a pidgin?
origin: migration or colonialism
functions: trade, admin, service
What is the Lexifer, superstrate and substrate of pidgins?
Lexifer/superstrate: language that provides most vocab, usually the dominant one,
Substrate: languages (2+) providing phonological system and grammatical structures
What are some phonological, lexical and morphosyntactic characteristics of pidgins?
Phono: less complex with few consonants and vowels
Morphosyntax: verbs lack tense markers, no inflection in nouns pronouns and adjectives, order signals meaning
What is Russermorsk? (Pidgin)
Origin: Russian fishermen and Norwegian merchants in 1700s for trade in summer, trade ended in 1917 and language died
features: vocab was mainly nouns verbs and a few adj, two pronouns, only sounds they had in common, no grammatical markers
What is a Creole?
A pidgin that has acquired native speakers
What is creolisation?
the process by which a pidgin becomes a creole
What are the characteristics of creoles? (vs pidgins)
Complex grammar and phonology, larger vocab. Social domain has expanded, attitudes are more positive and have higher status
What are the different types of pidgins by origin?
Trade (Tok Pisin)
Colonization (Nigerian Pidgin English)
Plantation Creoles (Haitian Creole)
Fort Creoles (Ghanian Pidgin English)
Maroon Creoles (Saramaccan)
What are Plantation Creoloes
originated in European plantation colonies in tropical locations, Separation of West African people who spoke the same language resulted in development of a pidgin, used different African languages and plantation boss and overseers language
What are Fort Creoles?
Developed in forts where Europeans held slaves in West Africa, communication between Africans of many different linguistics and Europeans
What are Maroon Creoles?
Spoken by the descendants of escaped slaves, in isolated and hard to access areas, least common type of creole
What is the history of Tok Pisin?
Trade
English based creole in papua new guinea. based on trade from the plantations
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What is the history of Nigerian Pidgin?
Colonization
European colonization that resulted in the creation of a pidgin from contact.
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What is the history of Haitian Creole?
Plantation Creole
French based spoke by 10-12M people, 18thC french lexicon mixed with other languages and mostly french phonology
