Pidginization And Creolization

Pidginization and Creolization of Languages

Creolization and Pidginization in Contexts of Postcolonial Diversity

This book deals with creolization and pidginization of language, culture and identity and makes use of interdisciplinary approaches developed in the study of the latter. Creolization and pidginization are conceptualized and investigated as specific social processes in the course of which new common languages, socio-cultural practices and identifications are developed under distinct social and political conditions and in different historical and local contexts of diversity. The contributions show that creolization and pidginization are important strategies to deal with identity and difference in a world in which diversity is closely linked with inequalities that relate to specific group memberships, colonial legacies and social norms and values.

Pidginization and Creolization

This book is concerned with the notions of “pidginization” and “creolization” and the role of these processes of language learning in the history of the Arabic language. It is argued that when a new type of Arabic emerged after the Islamic conquests in the 7th century AD, the language went through these processes, as can be concluded from the sociolinguistic context of the period. The radical changes in the language that led to the development of the modern dialects are then seen as the result of pidginization and creolization. Data from the dialects are compared with phenomena in pidginized/creolized languages, and suggestions are given for the application of this framework to the history of other languages.