PIDGINS AND CREOLES: A COMPARATIVE OVERVIEW

Abstract

Language is among the most unique and complex gifts nature has bestowed upon man. The phenomenon is so dynamic and productive that it has been efficient in assisting humanity to achieve diverse communicative roles in myriad situations. Nonetheless, these communicative roles could seemingly be hindered in some circumstances, especially when communicators do not share the same linguistic codes. Meanwhile, instead of being a setback, this has been cause for the emergence of “new” languages called pidgins and creoles. Rather than acknowledging the essence of these emerged languages however, they are mostly considered marginal, substandard to existing languages and belittling to use. This work therefore studied the concepts of pidgins and creoles to establish the circumstances surrounding their emergence, their spread, linguistic and social importance and status in selected linguistic communities.