Introduction

This chapter focuses on the main distinguishing structural properties of Kriol, with some mention of the variation that exists between dialects (see Sandefur 1986 and Sandefur and Harris 1986). Other brief general descriptions can be found in Graber (1986b), Sharpe (1985) and Steffensen (1977). Sociohistorical aspects of the language are discussed by Harris (this volume).

Phonological structure

The phonological structure of Kriol is very complex, due both to the origin of the language and to the effects of continued contact with English, the socially dominant language from which it was in part derived (for details of the orthographic structure of Kriol, see Sandefur 1984a).

The phonological system consists of a continuum of sounds which extend from what is referred to in the eastern dialects as hebi — ‘heavy’ Kriol to lait — ‘light’ Kriol with a span in between being prapa — ‘proper’ Kriol (see Sandefur 1982a, 1982b, 1985b, 1986). The extreme heavy end of the continuum reveals a subsystem that is virtually identical with that of traditional Aboriginal languages. There are, for example, no affricates, no fricatives, no contrastive voicing with stops, no consonant clusters within a syllable, but five points of articulation for stops and nasals. The extreme light subsystem, in contrast, includes virtually all the contrasts which occur in English.