Uniformitarianism in language speciation : from creolistics to genetic linguistics / edited by Salikoko S. Mufwene, Enoch O. Aboh.

Format:

Book

Contributor:

Mufwene, Salikoko S., editor.

Aboh, Enoch Oladé, editor.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Language and languages--Classification--History.

Language and languages.

Linguistic change.

Linguistics--History.

Linguistics.

Genre:

Essays

Physical Description:

1 online resource (xvii, 496 pages) : illustrations (black and white), maps (black and white), digital, PDF file(s)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Cambridge : Cambridge University Press, 2026.

Summary:

With contributions from a global team, this book sheds light on Uniformitarianism in the evolution of modern languages, showing that creoles didn't emerge exceptionally. It enables researchers on other languages to reassess their traditional approaches, factoring in migrations and emergent population structures under specific contact conditions.

Contents:

Cover

Half-title

Title page

Imprints page

Table of Contents

List of Figures

Maps

List of Tables

List of Contributors

Preface

References

Acknowledgments

1 Uniformitarianism in Language Speciation: An Introduction

1.1 The Background

1.2 Uniformitarianism, Language Contact, and Language Speciation

1.3 The Chapters

2 The Emergence of Creoles and Pidgins: Some Ecological Perspectives

2.1 Introduction

2.2 The Ideological Background to (Genetic) Creolistics

2.3 European Settlement and Trade Colonies

2.4 The Emergence of Creoles in Differing Contact Ecologies

2.5 Both Creoles and Pidgins Appear to Have Emerged by ''Basilectalization''

2.6 Conclusions

3 Brokers on the Move: Encounters between Europeans and Africans in the Portuguese Seaborne Empire (1425-1521)

3.1 Introduction

3.2 Lisbon and the Portuguese Seaborne Empire

3.3 Brokers on the Move

3.4 Portuguese Varieties Emerging from Language Contact

3.5 Kust Portugees (KP): Variation in Space and Time

3.6 Conclusions

4 Why No French Creole nor Pidgin Developed in West Africa: An Ethnographic-Historical Account of Population Contacts and Language Practices from the Late Sixteenth to the Early Twentieth Centuries

4.1 Introduction

4.2 Language Dynamics in the Beginnings of the French Trade in West Africa

4.3 Marriage, Trade, and Language Practices

4.4 The Emergence of a New Class of Intermediaries: The Métis

4.5 The French Recruitment Practices for the Colonial Army

4.6 Social and Linguistic Interactions within the Colonial Army

4.7 Debates Regarding Language Diversity and Communication in the Colonial Army

4.8 Français Tirailleur: An Ideologically Fabricated Variety

4.9 Conclusions

References.

5 The Ecology of Language Evolution: A Comparative View of Jewish Languages and Creoles

5.1 Introduction

5.2 What Are Jewish Languages?

5.3 Jewish Language Varieties in Medieval Spain

5.4 Key Ecological Factors Accounting for Jewish Varieties in Medieval Europe

5.5 The Emergence of Judeo-Spanish

5.6 A Comparative View of the Ecologies of Jewish Languages and Creoles

5.7 Conclusions

List of Abbreviations

Abbreviations in the Text

6 Another Piece of the Puzzle: Afro-Veracruz Spanish and the Spanish Creole Debate

6.1 Introduction

6.2 A Sketch of Afro-Veracruz Spanish Morphosyntax

6.3 The Afrogenesis Hypothesis in the Context of Colonial Veracruz

6.4 Black Slavery in Veracruz, Mexico

6.5 Conclusions

7 Uniformitarianism and the Social Ecology of Anguilla's Homestead Period

7.1 Introduction

7.2 Main Questions

7.3 Creoles and the UP

7.4 What Is a Principle?

7.5 Sociohistorical Analysis

7.6 Language Change in Later Periods

7.7 Efforts to Better Understand Social Life

Partial List of Archival Materials Consulted

8 A Uniformitarian Lens on Creole Languages: On Universal Creolization

8.1 Introduction

8.2 A Uniformitarian Approach to the Study of Creoles

8.3 The Language Subordination and the Standard Language Ideology Models

8.4 An Emic and Etic Approach to Naming Practices and on the Universality of Creolization

8.5 Conclusion

9 The Evolution of Copula Systems in West African Pidgin: A Uniformitarian Perspective

9.1 Introduction

9.2 Contact Ecologies

9.3 Formal, Functional, and Areal Aspects of Copula Expression

9.4 Systems of Nominal and Locative Predication in the African Adstrates and European Superstrates

9.5 Systems of Nominal and Locative Predication in West African Pidgin.

9.6 Phylogenetic Analysis of Nominal and Locative Predication in West African Pidgin

9.7 Uniformitarian Principles in the Differentiation of WAP Copula Systems

9.8 Conclusion

Appendices

Appendix 1 Dissimilarity Matrix with Copula Features

Appendix 2 Distance Matrix

10 Determiner-Noun Fusion in Haitian Creole: A Statistical Learning Perspective

10.1 Background

10.2 Methods

10.3 Results

10.4 Discussion

10.5 Towards a More Dynamic Approach to Study Creole Emergence

Acknowledgment

11 Uniformitarianism and the Emergence of the Brazilian Variety of Portuguese

11.1 Prologue

11.2 Introduction

11.3 A Very Brief Overview of Brazilian Colonial History and Its Impact on the Emergence of a New Language Variety

11.4 A Hypothesis for a Colonial Feature Pool

11.5 Final Remarks

12 Recombination, Feature Pool, and Population Structure: Three Factors Bearing on ''Grammaticalization''

12.1 Introduction

12.2 Grammaticalization Theory: The Problem

12.3 Feature Pool: Competition, Selection, and Grammaticalization

12.4 Conclusion

Language Index

Subject Index

Author Index.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

1-009-62895-X

1-009-62898-4