Vocabulary. Tok Pisin can sound very colourful in its use of words, which are derived from English (with Australian influences)
Tok Pisin can sound very colourful in its use of words, which are derived from English (with Australian influences), indigenous Melanesian languages and German (part of the country was under German rule until 1914).
By way of conclusion the basic features of pidgins and creaoled can be summarised in the following way. A Pidgin · is a contact language or lingua franca that arose naturally (not like e.g. Esperanto) · does not have native speakers · is reduced in linguistic form and grammar · is restricted in contexts of use · is typically unstable and highly mixed · may some times be a stable variety with norms of acceptability, · but is NOT a fully adequate natural language. Also, Pidgins: · derive from the process of pidginization · typically evolve from trade or plantation situations... ·... where many languages occur but no one predominates; · are the products of incomplete Second Language Acquisition, and thus... ·... have small core vocabularies, and borrow extensively, ·... have very surfacy grammar, much variation but little system, ·... and sociolinguistically have no (or incoherent) norms of interpretation; · have limited domains for expressive and communicative functions; · typically either die out or evolve into creoles... ·... through the process of creolization/nativization. A Creole, on the other hand: · does have native speakers · has developed, thru expansion in linguistic form and grammar, · and thru extension in use (communicative & expressive functions), · into a full-fledged, complete and adequate natural language · which is typically stable and autonomous in its norms Also, Creoles: · often evolve from pidgins, thru the creolization/nativization process; · exist most often in post-colonial areas, where... ·...they tend to be the vernacular of spontaneous daily use; · are typically related to one widely-spoken language (often seen as a 'corruption' of it); · are native languages acquired as mother tongues; thus... ·...are products of First Language Acquisition, based on inadequate input; · may either stabilize, decreolize thru contact, or die out · may or may not be highly mixed, depending on their age & current language contacts; · have established mechanisms for vocabulary extension (borrowing/integration rules); · have less elaborate/grammaticalized structures in grammar than older languages do (whether standardized or not), but definitely more than pidgins; · have much variation but coherent sociolinguistic norms (of evaluation/interpretation) · have wider domains and are used more for expressive/communicative purposes... ·... though they resemble non-standard dialects in terms of prestige; · may remain stable over long periods or merge toward standard languages (decreolize).
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