LING430A (SLN
14943) /ANTH439A (SLN
10256)
Pidgin and Creole Languages
Winter 2010
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Instructor: Alicia Beckford Wassink |
Location and Time: |
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Office: Padelford A217 |
TTh 12:30-2:20pm |
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Office
Hours: Th 11:30-12:15pm, and by
appt. |
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Office
Phone: 616-9589 |
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Dept.
Phone: 543-2046 (Dept. of
Linguistics Office) |
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Email: wassink@u.washington.edu |
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Course Links : |
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Student
Language Sketches --
sample sketch: Korlai --sample
sketch: Shaba Swahili |
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In
this course, we will survey aspects of the linguistic structure, history, and social
context of pidgin and creole languages spoken, past and present, in several
locations around the world. We will consider their histories of formation and
development, ask whether and how they are different from non-creole languages,
and learn about the grammatical features common to language varieties that
emerged from specific types of language contact situations (including, but not
limited to: trade, colonization, and migration). Pidgins and creoles are
believed by many scholars to be important to linguistic theory because they
provide a window into universal grammar and the evolution of the human language
faculty. We will explore the grounds for and against such claims. Students should have had an upper-level
introduction to linguistics.
Prerequisites: LING400 or instructor's permission.
Linguistic
research since the 1880s has tended to focus more on Atlantic Creoles than
Pacific ones. As a result,
linguists know the most about those languages emerging in contexts of
plantation economy-formation and the African slave trade (e.g., in the
plantations of Jamaican and Haiti, or the fort settlements where slaves were
held prior to the Middle Passage in Sierra Leone). We will consult the available literature for the Pacific
Creoles, and a wide range of other ÒmixedÓ languages, as well.
By the
end of the quarter, students will be "specialists" in one pidgin or
creole variety of their choice--its linguistic structure, parent languages,
historical development, and social setting. This specialization will be developed across the quarter as
students "adopt" a language, and conduct an ongoing, data-based
analysis project that elaborates on the features of their chosen language with
respect to each of the main syllabus topics. Students will be conversant in the claims, strengths and
weaknesses of the important theories of pidgin and creole genesis; in
definitions of linguistic adequacy and simplification theories.
Evaluation:
1.
45%--Periodic quizzes and library exercise: There
will be 3 graded quizzes evaluating studentsÕ grasp of basic concepts in pidgin
and creole linguistics and comparing the linguistic features of real pidgins
and creoles. Quizzes are cumulative. The library exercise counts toward this part of the
grade, which involves independent, written work.
2.
20%--Discussion leading: Students (IN GROUPS OF 2-4) will
take a turn leading classroom discussion of one Òsketch of an individual
language.Ó This language may be a pidgin or creole, parent language of a pidgin
or creole. Students may choose one
of the languages listed in the Arends et al text (see syllabus weeks 4, 5 for
suggestions), or from another set of readings of studentsÕ choice. Be sure to consult the list of language resources
listed on the course website.
3.
35%--Language report: This is the final project for this course. All students
will adopt (by the end of week 3) a language on which they will focus for the
quarter. The linguistic structure,
historical development and social context of this language will be documented
in a final portfolio (8-10 pages).
Be creative! You may include audio or video recordings about your
language, attach songs, writings, etc in the language. Students must meet
with the instructor to discuss their plans during week 5. Students will orally present the
contents of their portfolio in class during the last two weeks of the
quarter. The portfolio is to be
handed in at the beginning of the final examination period scheduled for this
course: Thursday,
March 18, 2010, 10:30-12:20, SIG 228. That means you must either email it to me by 10:30am
if you plan to submit electronically, or bring it by hand ON TIME (not during
or at the end of the class period) to the final exam period. No extensions will be granted, so please
don't ask!
Required reading:
Course
text: Arends, J., Muysken, P, and
Smith, N. (1994) Pidgins and Creoles: An Introduction. Amsterdam: John Benjamins.
Required reading (on electronic reserve):
1. Adendorff, Ralph
D. (1993) Ethnographic Evidence of the Social Meaning of Fanakalo in South
Africa, Journal
of Pidgin and Creole Languages, 8(1): pp. 1-27.
2. Holm, John (1988)
Phonology. Pidgins
and Creoles, vol. 1: theory and structure. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, pp.
105-143.
3. Rickford, John R.
(1983) Standard and Non-standard Language Attitudes in a Creole continuum. Society for
Caribbean Linguistics Occasional Paper No. 16, pp. 1-27.
4. Wilt, Timothy L.
(1994) A Survey of the Linguistic Preferences of Cameroon Pidgin English
Speakers, Journal
of Pidgin and Creole Languages, 9(1): pp. 51-64.
5. DeGraff, M. (2001)
Creolization, Language Change, and Language Acquisition: a Prolegomenon, ch 1. Language Creation
and Language Change: creolization, diachrony, and development. Cambridge,
MA: MIT, pp. 1-18
6. TBA, Creole phonology
Other resources:
The
course website contains...
Examples of sketches completed in past
quarters.
A bibliography of books, articles,
recordings, and visual materials on pidgin and creole languages contained in
the UW Libraries. This is intended
to help you quickly discover what languages are represented in our library
holdings (including information on the languageÕs parent languages), and help
you avoid choosing a language for which the UW has few or no materials.
For
your informationÉ
A. Following are some of the principal journals in
sociolinguistic research, within which creole linguistics has, largely as an
historical artifact of the field of linguistics, been situated:
Journal
of Pidgin and Creole Languages, John Benjamins
Language
Variation and Change, Cambridge University Press
Journal of
English Linguistics, Sage
English
World-Wide, John Benjamins
B. Conferences: Society for
Pidgin and Creole Languages, Society for Caribbean Linguistics
C. Internet Presence: ÒCREOLE TALKÓ is a (VERY ACTIVE!)
online discussion group of scholars working in pidgins, creoles, and language
contact. Here are their vital statistics:
to Post: CreoleTalk@yahoogroups.com
to
Subscribe: CreoleTalk-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
to
UnSubscribe: CreoleTalk-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
List Mom: CreoLIST-owner@yahoogroups.com
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Meeting |
Date |
Topic |
Come to class prepared to discussÉ -or- Due today... |
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I. Background and General Aspects (Arends, Part I): |
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1 |
T 1/5 |
Introduction & Preliminary
Definitions Where in the world are
creoles and pidgins spoken? Historical linguistics
and the genetic affiliations of creoles |
student interests and aims |
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2 |
TH 1/7 |
LIBRARY LABORATORY Workday in the Library |
**turn in library
laboratory JAN
8 by 5:00pm** |
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3 (WK 2) |
T 1/12 |
History of pidgin and creole studies
("creole linguistics") Creole languages: Types and
socio-historical background |
ch. 1,2 (slides) |
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4 |
TH 1/14 |
Pidgin varieties |
ch. 3 (slides) |
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5 (WK 3) |
T 1/19 |
Mixed languages and language
intertwining |
ch. 4 (slides) |
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II. Sociolinguistic Issues in Creole Variation
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6 |
TH 1/21 |
Variation in linguistic structure |
**take quiz 1** ch. 5 |
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7 (WK 4) |
T 1/26 |
Variation: interaction with social
factors **discussion of studentÕs selected languages** |
Rickford (slides) |
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8 |
TH 1/28 |
Variation: language attitudes |
Wilt, Adendorff |
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III.
Sketches of Individual Languages (Arends, Part III): (subject to change according to
student interest) |
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9(WK 5) |
T 2/2 |
Suggestions: Group sketches of Atlantic Creoles |
ch. 12,13 |
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10 |
TH 2/4 |
Group sketches of Pacific Creoles |
ch. 14, 15 |
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11 (WK 6) |
T 2/9 |
Group sketches |
16, 17 |
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12 |
TH 2/11 |
Video, ÒThe Language
You Cry InÓ |
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IV.
Grammatical Features (Arends, Part IV): |
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13 (WK 7) |
T 2/16 |
Syntax: TMA particles and
auxiliaries |
ch. 20 (slides) |
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14 |
TH 2/18 |
Noun Phrases |
ch. 21 (slides) |
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15 (WK 8) |
T 2/23 |
Serial Verbs Fronting |
ch. 23, (slides) ch. 24 (slides) |
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16 |
TH 2/25 |
Phonetics and Phonology: Vowel phenomena |
**take quiz 2** Holm, ch. 4, pp. 105-125 |
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17 (WK 9) |
T 3/2 |
Consonantal phenomena Suprasegmentals |
Holm, ch. 4, pp. 125-136; Holm, ch. 4, pp. 137-143 (slides:
for both phonetics/ phonology lectures I, II) |
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V.
Theories of Genesis (Arends, Part II): |
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18 |
TH 3/4 |
Theories focusing on Superstrate input,
Substrate input, Gradualist Approaches |
**take quiz 3** ch. 8, 9 (slides) |
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19 (WK 10) |
T 3/9 |
--progress reports on data collection project-- |
ch. 10,11 |
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20 |
TH 3/11 |
In-Class debate: ÒAre creoles
ÔspecialÕ Ó? |
group-selected readings (slides) |
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(Final Exam Period) |
Th 3/18 |
portfolios due |
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