Typical Features of Pidgins and Creoles Flashcards
Where is the lexis of pidgin languages drawn from?
The lexifier language
What are common lexifier languages?
English, French, Portuguese, Dutch
Where is the grammar of pidgin languages drawn from?
The indigenous (native) African or Asian languages
How are concepts explained in pidgin languages?
In lengthier ways
e.g. bilong (belong) mean ‘of’ -> papa bilong mi = my father
How and when is reduplication used?
Extensive usage
To intensify meaning
To avoid confusion: differentiate between different words which are phonologically similar
Example of reduplication for intensifying meaning:
tok = talk toktok = chatter
Example of reduplication for avoiding confusion:
pis = peace pispis = urinate
How are pidgins’ and creoles’ pronunciation different from standard languages?
They have fewer sounds (even creoles) within their language
Example of sounds within Tok Pisin compared to RP:
Only 5 vowel sounds, RP has 20
e.g. only one sound |ɪ| for the two RP sounds |ɪ| in “dip” and |i:| in “deep”
What are two features of pronunciation in pidgins and creoles?
Simplification of consonant clusters
Conflation
Example of simplification of consonant clusters:
"friend" = "fren" "cold" = "col" "salt" = "sol"
What is conflation?
The combination of sounds, in these cases it limits the number of sounds used
Examples of conflated sounds in creoles and pidgins:
|t| with |θ| (th)
|d| with |ð|
|tʃ| with |ʃ|
What is the result of this reduced number of phonemes?
A larger number of homophones
What are homophones?
Words which are pronounced identically
e.g. pair and pear
How are inflections used in pidgins and creoles?
They have few:
usually nouns are not marked for number or gender
verbs are not marked for tense
What is the exception of inflections in Tok Pisin?
They distinguish between:
inclusive “we” : “yumi” - refering to speaker and adressee
non-inclusive “we” : “mepela” - refering to speaker and others
How are negations (negatives) formed?
Usually with the simple negative particle “no”
How are clauses and sentences structured?
Simply, there are no embedded clauses such as relative clauses
How many changes are there that happen when a pidgin develops into a creole?
4
What are the four changes that happen in the transition between pidgin to creole?
Talk faster
Vocabularies expand
Develop a tense system
Develop greater sense of complexity
What happens as the language starts to be spoken faster?
Words often go through the process of assimilation and reduction
How do the vocabularies expand?
New shorter words are made and longer expressions die out
Word-building develops as suffixes are added to provide a greater range of meaning
