Creole linguistics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

Creole linguistics - Essay Example One of the problems of definition stems from the way in which the languages are classified. Varieties such as Eskimo pidgin lack some of the structures and linguistic patterns of other types of pidgins. Creole now includes a larger number of languages than before. Questions have arisen as to which groups of languages be classified as creoles or pidgins. Considerations have also been given to breaking down both languages into sub groups and sub types. One should also pay attention to the proximity to the source language. There is also the issue of the varying degrees of creoles as spoken in some Caribbean states, for example. The question as to what extent socio cultural and socio historical factors play in the development of the languages should also be considered. Mufwene argued that the term pidgins and creoles were loosely used by European settlers and thus does not satisfy the criteria to be called languages because of the lack of certain linguistic features. He limits the term creole to those former pidgin languages in parts of the Pacific and West Africa. Thompson another writer examined the languages in terms of their historical natures. Her distinction of creoles and pidgins from bilingual mixed languages is based on social, historical, and linguistic aspects. Her claim also presents conflict especially when one looks at languages such as Tok Pisin. Both writers agreed on the difficulty faced in categorising every language. Conflicts have also arisen in determining the nature of processes of pidgin and creoles as they relate to each other. Historically both languages have been reflective of each other. Some writers, however, view both languages as being different from each other in view of their developmental processes. Others argue that they are independent of each other in terms of formation and use. Some scholars also look at the role children and adult played in the development of both languages. They argue that the morphology and