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.

"This book is well written, clear, and accessible to students with a minimum of linguistics background, and in all it covers well what it sets out to discuss." Studies in Second Language Acquisition 

"Holm has worked on these languages for the best part of three decades, and this is apparent in the width and scope of his research." Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development

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.

Series: Cambridge Textbooks in Linguistics


Contents

Frontmatter pp i-vi

Contents pp vii-x

Preface pp xi-xiii

List of tables pp xiv-xiv

List of abbreviations and symbols pp xv-xvi

Dedication pp xvii-xvii

Maps pp xviii-xxii

1 - Introduction pp 1-13

2 - The development of theory pp 14-67

3 - Social factors pp 68-105

4 - Lexicosemantics pp 106-136

5 - Phonology pp 137-170

6 - Syntax pp 171-236

7 - Conclusions pp 237-240

References pp 241-266

Index