Pidgins and Creoles: Debates and Issues

Abstract

This article identifies and presents the main debates and issues that are generating interest in the field of creole studies. It is composed of two main sections. The first one presents the debates currently stimulating creolistics: the nature of pidgins and creoles and the relation between the two, the sociological and typological distinction between pidgins and creoles, the various theories explaining their origin, and their transformation through time. The second part raises issues linked to the social life of these languages, an area of research that, though present since the beginning of creolistics, has remained limited. Using the framework of linguistic ideology, this review surveys the social status of pidgins and creoles, the prejudices that exclude them from being used at schools, and their lack of linguistic legitimacy. It concludes with a discussion of pidgins and creoles on social media.