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THE ROLE OF CORE GRAMMAR IN PIDGIN DEVELOPMENT
Author(s) -
Macedo Donaldo P.
Publication year - 1986
Publication title -
language learning
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.882
H-Index - 103
eISSN - 1467-9922
pISSN - 0023-8333
DOI - 10.1111/j.1467-1770.1986.tb00369.x
Subject(s) - pidgin , creole language , linguistics , learnability , creolization , grammar , language contact , context (archaeology) , computer science , artificial intelligence , history , philosophy , archaeology
Traditionally, researchers in the field of pidgin and Creole languages have supported the simplification theory which regards a pidgin as a simplified version of the colonizers language. This paper examines the process of pidgin development within the context of Government and Binding theory as proposed by Chomsky (1981). Empirical evidence given in this paper from Capeverdean creole (and others) indicates that the linguistic phenomenon generally labelled pidginization, creolization, decreolization, etc. can be explained as follows. The contact of various languages may produce a new experience which subsequently fixes the parameters of Universal Grammar, providing a pidgin core grammar. This core is guided by a preference of structure imposed by the markedness theory allowing the learnability condition to operate. The resultant core grammar can later incorporate a marked periphery. The addition of this marked periphery is what had been viewed in the past as creolization. If one of the donor languages is characterized by structures which meet the learnability criterion, the incorporation of the marked periphery will be targeted toward that language. The directionality of the pidgin periphery may then be predicted. However, if none of the languages meets the learnability condition, the pidgin periphery may develop independently of the peripheries of the donor languages.