Book contents
- Uniformitarianism in Language Speciation
- Uniformitarianism in Language Speciation
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Figures
- Maps
- Tables
- Contributors
- Preface
- Acknowledgments
- 1 Uniformitarianism in Language Speciation
- 2 The Emergence of Creoles and Pidgins
- 3 Brokers on the Move
- 4 Why No French Creole nor Pidgin Developed in West Africa
- 5 The Ecology of Language Evolution
- 6 Another Piece of the Puzzle
- 7 Uniformitarianism and the Social Ecology of Anguilla’s Homestead Period
- 8 A Uniformitarian Lens on Creole Languages
- 9 The Evolution of Copula Systems in West African Pidgin
- 10 Determiner-Noun Fusion in Haitian Creole
- 11 Uniformitarianism and the Emergence of the Brazilian Variety of Portuguese
- 12 Recombination, Feature Pool, and Population Structure
- Language Index
- Subject Index
- Author Index
- References
10 - Determiner-Noun Fusion in Haitian Creole
A Statistical Learning Perspective
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 10 December 2025
Book contents
- Uniformitarianism in Language Speciation
- Uniformitarianism in Language Speciation
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Figures
- Maps
- Tables
- Contributors
- Preface
- Acknowledgments
- 1 Uniformitarianism in Language Speciation
- 2 The Emergence of Creoles and Pidgins
- 3 Brokers on the Move
- 4 Why No French Creole nor Pidgin Developed in West Africa
- 5 The Ecology of Language Evolution
- 6 Another Piece of the Puzzle
- 7 Uniformitarianism and the Social Ecology of Anguilla’s Homestead Period
- 8 A Uniformitarian Lens on Creole Languages
- 9 The Evolution of Copula Systems in West African Pidgin
- 10 Determiner-Noun Fusion in Haitian Creole
- 11 Uniformitarianism and the Emergence of the Brazilian Variety of Portuguese
- 12 Recombination, Feature Pool, and Population Structure
- Language Index
- Subject Index
- Author Index
- References
Summary
What psycholinguistic mechanisms shape the emergence of Creole languages, and are these processes unique or universal across human language evolution? In this exploration, determiner-noun fusion (DNF) in Haitian Creole takes center stage, challenging assumptions about the sole role of substrate influence. By analyzing DNF patterns in Haitian Creole and comparing them to those in Mauritian Creole, the chapter reveals how statistical learning – hallmarks of word segmentation – plays a pivotal role. These findings align Creole emergence with broader linguistic processes, refuting claims of a “break in transmission.” This chapter bridges Creole linguistics and psycholinguistics, providing support for the Uniformitarian Principle and reshaping the debate on Creole emergence.
Information
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Uniformitarianism in Language SpeciationFrom Creolistics to Genetic Linguistics, pp. 394 - 419Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2025
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