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The source of Tok Pisin structures
Author(s) -
GOULDEN RICK J.
Publication year - 1989
Publication title -
world englishes
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.6
H-Index - 49
eISSN - 1467-971X
pISSN - 0883-2919
DOI - 10.1111/j.1467-971x.1989.tb00650.x
Subject(s) - explanatory power , plural , linguistics , grammar , explanatory model , computer science , development (topology) , universal grammar , epistemology , history , sociology , philosophy , mathematics , mathematical analysis
In the past two decades, pidgins and creoles (PCs) have attracted the attention of numerous linguists for the insights they may provide on the genesis, development and nature of language. A central concern of many PC studies is the source of the modern structures of such languages, in particular the source of those structures that are not derived from the target language. Of several approaches for the explanation of such PC structures, the most popular include: (1) simplification, (2) substratum influence, (3) independent innovation, and (4) universal grammar. Although many authors concede that these and other explanatory approaches are not mutually exclusive, there is a strong tendency in PC studies to argue for or against the explanatory power of each approach. It is suggested here, however, that each of these approaches has explanatory weight for certain developments in the history of PCs. A given explanation may appear to be ‘better’ than others for particular structures, but ultimately a model of PC genesis and development must recognize that no single explanation exists independently of the others, and that each approach has played some rôle in the development of these languages. In this paper, I would like to address this ‘conspiracy’ of explanations with reference to the development of plural marking in Tok Pisin from an English lexical base.