Pidgin inflectional morphology and its implications for creole morphology

Bakker, Peter

doi:10.1007/0-306-48223-1_2

Cited by 83 publications

(26 citation statements)

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“…The goal of this article is not to establish the existence of retained inflections in pidgins, which is uncontroversial and well documented in previous work (Bakker 2003), but rather to uncover certain patterns in the retention of inflectional morphology across contact languages that experienced a process of structural reduction (as part of a process of pidginization) in their genesis. This involves a systematic comparison between the inflectional systems of a given pidgin and its lexifier(s).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 91%

“…In an earlier study on pidgin morphology, Bakker (2003) found that pidgins have even richer inflection than creoles though much of this may be due to the fact that most creoles are lexified by European languages. About half the pidgins surveyed in that paper have some form of inflectional morphology.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 95%

“…As noted above, there is a rather fuzzy boundary between pidgins and creoles which the category of expanded pidgin attempts to circumvent (see Bakker 2003 for a list of sociolinguistic parameters and Thomason 1997: 85-86 for a discussion on fuzzy boundaries between categories). The category of semi-pidgin (as proposed in McWhorter 1999) similarly accommodates contact languages that do not undergo radical structural reduction.…”

Section: Pidgins and Language Typologymentioning

confidence: 99%

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Retained inflectional morphology in pidgins: A typological study

Roberts

Bresnan

2008

Linguistic Typology

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It is commonly accepted that the process of pidginization leads to a loss of inflectional morphology, but this loss is often not total. Lexifier inflections instead follow a cline of reduction: full retention -partial retention -partial lexicalization -full lexicalization -full loss. This article examines the retention of inflection in 29 languages that reflect a history of pidginization in their devel

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 91%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 95%

Section: Pidgins and Language Typologymentioning

confidence: 99%

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Retained inflectional morphology in pidgins: A typological study

Roberts

Bresnan

2008

Linguistic Typology

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“…Iconically motivated reduplication is common both in sign languages (e.g. Klima & Bellugi 1979 , Kouwenberg & LaCharité 2003, though typically very rare in nonextended pidgins (Bakker 2003).…”

Section: Iconicity In Spoken Languagesmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Paradox of Sign Language Morphology

Aronoff¹,

Meir²,

Sandler³

2005

lan

251

156

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Sign languages have two strikingly different kinds of morphological structure: sequential and simultaneous. The simultaneous morphology of two unrelated sign languages, American and Israeli Sign Language, is very similar and is largely inflectional, while what little sequential morphology we have found differs significantly and is derivational. We show that at least two pervasive types of inflectional morphology, verb agreement and classifier constructions, are iconically grounded in spatiotemporal cognition, while the sequential patterns can be traced to normal historical development. We attribute the paucity of sequential morphology in sign languages to their youth. This research both brings sign languages much closer to spoken languages in their morphological structure and shows how the medium of communication contributes to the structure of languages.* Si l'on pouvait inventer une langue dont les dictions eussent leur signification naturelle, de sorte que tous les hommes entendissent la pensée des autres à la seule prononciation sans en avoir appris la signification, comme ils entendent que l'on se rejoueit lorsque l'on rit, et que l'on est triste quand on pleure, cette langue serait la meilleure de toutes les possibles; car elle ferait la mesme impression sur tous les auditeurs, que feraient les pensées de l'esprit si elles se pouvaient immédiatement communiquer entre les hommes comme entre les Anges. (Mersenne, Harmonie universelle, 1636) [If one could invent a language whose expressions had their natural signification, so that all men could understand the thought of others by pronunciation alone without having learned its signification, as they understand that one is happy when one laughs, and that one is sad when one cries, this language would be the best of all possible: for it would make the same impression on all hearers as would the thoughts of the spirit if they could be communicated immediately between men as between the angels.] [our translation] If humans could communicate by telepathy, there would be no need for a phonological component, at least for the purposes of communication; and the same extends to the use of language generally. (Noam Chomsky, The minimalist program, 1995:221)

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“…But recent findings show that, quite to the contrary, creoles have more morpology than they should (Bakker 2003, Braun and Plag 2003, DeGraff 1999, Good 2003, Lefebvre 2003. That actual creoles contradict the typological prototype set up for creole languages (which are the only new spoken languages that linguists have access to) is not unexpected, since creoles are in fact not entirely new languages.…”

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confidence: 95%

Morphological universals and the sign language type

Aronoff

Meir

Padden

et al. 2005

Yearbook of Morphology

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Now the Egyptians, before the reign of their king Psammetichus, believed themselves to be the most ancient of mankind. Since Psammetichus, however, made an attempt to discover who were actually the primitive race, they have been of opinion that while they surpass all other nations, the Phrygians surpass them in antiquity. This king, finding it impossible to make out by dint of inquiry what men were the most ancient, contrived the following method of discovery:-He took two children of the common sort, and gave them over to a herdsman to bring up at his folds, strictly charging him to let no one utter a word in their presence, but to keep them in a sequestered cottage, and from time to time introduce goats to their apartment, see that they got their fill of milk, and in all other respects look after them. His object herein was to know, after the indistinct babblings of infancy were over, what word they would first articulate. It happened as he had anticipated. The herdsman obeyed his orders for two years, and at the end of that time, on his one day opening the door of their room and going in, the children both ran up to him with outstretched arms, and distinctly said ''Becos.'' When this first happened the herdsman took no notice; but afterwards when he observed, on coming often to see after them, that the word was constantly in their mouths, he informed his lord, and by his command brought the children into his presence. Psammetichus then himself heard them say the word, upon which he proceeded to make inquiry what people there was who called anything ''becos,'' and hereupon he learnt that ''becos'' was the Phrygian name for bread. In consideration of this circumstance the Egyptians yielded their claims, and admitted the greater antiquity of the Phrygians.Herodotus, History, 2.2 THE MORPHOLOGY OF NEW LANGUAGESMost linguists assume with Herodotus that languages can arise de novo, given the right circumstances. However the phenomenon of the birth of a language in a natural social setting has never previously been directly observed, strictly speaking, for either spoken or signed languages. We will report here on the first such direct observation known to us of the advent of a new language in such a setting and more specifically on the morphology of that language. New languages are predicted to have certain properties, because of their newness. As

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Pidgin inflectional morphology and its implications for creole morphology

Cited by 83 publications

References 39 publications

Retained inflectional morphology in pidgins: A typological study

Retained inflectional morphology in pidgins: A typological study

The Paradox of Sign Language Morphology

Morphological universals and the sign language type

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