The Handbook of Pidgin and Creole Studies - (Blackwell Handbooks in Linguistics) by Silvia Kouwenberg & John Victor Singler (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

Featuring an international contributor list, this long-awaited and broad-ranging collection examines the key issues, topics and research in pidgin and creole studies.

• A comprehensive reference work exploring the treatment of core aspects of pidgins/creoles, focusing on the questions that animate creole studies
• Brings together newly-commissioned entries by an international contributor team
• Accessibly structured into four sections covering: the character of pidgins and creoles; the relation of pidgins/creoles to other language phenomena and other languages; issues in pidgin/creole genesis; and the role of pidgins/creoles in society
• Provides a valuable resource for students, scholars and researchers working across a number linguistic disciplines, including sociolinguistics, historical linguistics, and the anthropology of language

From the Back Cover

The comparatively recent origins of pidgins and creoles provide them with a special place in linguistic theory. Debates about the origin and character of these languages have informed broader discussions within grammatical theory, historical linguistics, and sociolinguistics. The Handbook of Pidgin and Creole Studies tackles these cross-linguistic questions that animate pidgin and creole studies.

Bringing together newly commissioned material by an international contributor list, this comprehensive and broad-ranging collection explores the core aspects of pidgins/creoles, from phonology to language acquisition, and from language variation to education. The book is structured into five sections covering: the properties of pidgins and creoles; issues in pidgin/creole genesis; pidgins/creoles and linguistic explanation; the relation of pidgins/creoles to kindred languages; and their role in society. The result is a stimulating one-volume reference work covering the key issues, topics, and research in this field.

Review Quotes

"This handbook provides a timely overview of a constantly changing and growing field and serves as a handy reference for anyone working on pidgins and creoles or related issues."
"James Walker, York University"

"A most informative handbook on pidgin and creole languages. Superbly edited, and written by the preeminent scholars in the field."
"Armin Schwegler, University of California, Irvine"

About the Author

Silvia Kouwenberg is Senior Lecturer in the Department of Language, Linguistics and Philosophy at the University of the West Indies (Mona, Jamaica). Her publications include A Grammar of Berbice Dutch (1994), Papiamentu (with Eric Murray, 1994), and Twice as Meaningful: Reduplication in Pidgins, Creoles and Other Contact Languages (edited, 2003).

John Victor Singler is Professor of Linguistics at New York University. His publications include An Introduction to Liberian English (1981) and Pidgin and Creole Tense-Mood-Aspect Systems (edited, 1990).