Creoles and Variation

doi:10.1017/9781108559249.014

13 - Creoles and Variation

from Part II - Legitimacy, Authority and the Written Form

Published online by Cambridge University Press: 01 July 2021

Bettina Migge

Edited by

Wendy Ayres-Bennett and

John Bellamy

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Wendy Ayres-Bennett: Affiliation:
University of Cambridge
John Bellamy: Affiliation:
University of Cambridge

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Summary

Pidgins and creoles are typically depicted as involving an unusually high degree of variation. This is also often taken to be indicative of a lack of proper grammatical structuring and language-hood. Variation is presented as an obstacle to standardization and for exclusion from official domains, particularly formal education. For speakers, creoles represent the ‘voice of truth’, convey belonging and are often the main means of communication. Pidgins and creoles were eventually allowed into formal contexts due to pragmatic considerations such as for proselyting and for the mitigation of educational problems rather than identity-based considerations. This has acted as an important catalyst for their wider recognition. Discussions about how to deal with variation continue to hamper processes of standardization and implementation, however. This chapter reviews approaches to and issues in the standardization of creoles and discusses the ongoing standardization of Nenge(e) (Eastern Maroon Creoles) in French Guiana. It is argued that variation is integral to all languages and can be accommodated once pluricentric norms and wider notions of literacy are adopted. Careful attention to language ideologies, including views about variation, are crucial for successful acceptance and use of the outcomes of standardization.

Keywords

standardization creoles Nengee language planning literacy French Guiana codification dictionary

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Type: Chapter
Information: The Cambridge Handbook of Language Standardization , pp. 371 - 394

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108559249.014 [Opens in a new window]

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Print publication year: 2021

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