
An Introduction to Pidgins and Creoles
John Holm(Author)
Cambridge University Press
Published on 17. August 2000
Book
Hardback
308 pages
978-0-521-58460-9 (ISBN)
Description
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. John Holm examines the structure of these pidgins and creoles, the social history of their speakers, and the theories put forward to explain how their vocabularies, sound systems and grammars evolved. His new findings on structural typology, including non-Atlantic creoles, permit a wide-ranging assessment of the nature of restructured languages worldwide. This much-needed book will be welcomed by students and researchers in linguistics, sociolinguistics, western European languages, anthropology and sociology.
Reviews / Votes
'The style in which the book is written is generally accessible and clear ... The book is generally well-produced, containing a list of abbreviations, a 15-page index, and two detailed language maps.' Journal of Pidgin and Creole LanguagesMore details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
Cambridge
United Kingdom
Target group
Professional and scholarly
College/higher education
Illustrations
8 Tables, unspecified; 2 Maps
Dimensions
Height: 235 mm
Width: 157 mm
Thickness: 23 mm
Weight
653 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-521-58460-9 (9780521584609)
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Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

John Holm
An Introduction to Pidgins and Creoles
E-Book
01/2005
1st Edition
Cambridge University Press
€48.99
Available for download
Person
Content
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.