Introduction

Kriol is an English-based creole, widely spoken by Aboriginal Australians in the ‘Top end’ of the Northern Territory and adjacent regions. Emerging early this century but derogated or ignored until just over ten years ago, Kriol has since become better documented. It is now the subject of considerable interest and debate, due largely to its expanding use in education and in the Christian church (see Harris and Sandefur 1985b; J.W. Harris 1986b).

Kriol is of more than local interest because it is probably the latest creole to be comprehensively described linguistically (Sandefur 1979; Sandefur and Sandefur 1979a; and Sandefur, this volume), sociolinguistically (Sandefur 1984b), and historically (J.W. Harris 1984, 1986a). It is also of importance because the circumstances in which Kriol arose differ from those in the plantation and post-plantation societies from which so many other creoles have emerged. I outline briefly the history of Kriol in four broad stages: its pre-European background, the eras of pidgin genesis and stabilisation and the modern period of creolisation and extension.

The pre-European context

Speech communities consisting of large numbers of overlapping language communities are typical of Aboriginal Australia (Rigsby and Sutton 1982; and Sutton, this volume), particularly in areas such as North Australia where favourable natural environments are able to support large numbers of people organised into small groups (White 1978: 48).