An Introduction to Pidgins and Creoles [Paperback]

A clear and concise introduction to the study of how new languages come into being.This textbook is a clear and concise introduction to the study of how new languages come into being. Starting with an overview of the field's basic concepts, it surveys the new languages that developed as a result of the European expansion to the Americas, Africa, Asia and the Pacific. Long misunderstood as 'bad' versions of European languages, today such varieties as Jamaican Creole English, Haitian Creole French and New Guinea Pidgin are recognized as distinct languages in their own right.This textbook is a clear and concise introduction to the study of how new languages come into being. Starting with an overview of the field's basic concepts, it surveys the new languages that developed as a result of the European expansion to the Americas, Africa, Asia and the Pacific. Long misunderstood as 'bad' versions of European languages, today such varieties as Jamaican Creole English, Haitian Creole French and New Guinea Pidgin are recognized as distinct languages in their own right.This textbook is a clear and concise introduction to the study of how new languages come into being. Starting with an overview of the field's basic concepts, it surveys the new languages that developed as a result of the European expansion to the Americas, Africa, Asia and the Pacific. Long misunderstood as bad versions of European languages, today such varieties as Jamaican Creole English, Haitian Creole French and New Guinea Pidgin are recognized as distinct languages in their own right.List of tables; Preface; Abbreviations and symbols; Maps; 1. Introduction; 2. The development of theory; 3. Social factors; 4. Lexicosemantics; 5. Phonology; 6. Syntax; 7. Conclusions; References; Index. This book is well written, clear, and accessible to students with a minimum of linguistics background, and in all it covers well what it sets out to discuss. Studies in Second Language Acquisition Holm has worked on thesl37