Language Contact and the Development of Krio

Many linguists and creolists acknowledge the critical role of Krio in furthering our understanding of the emergence, development, and evolution of Atlantic-based English-lexified creoles. This book examines the development and restructuring of Krio linguistic properties from diachronic and synchronic perspectives. It explores models of pidginization and creolization with special focus on the historical, linguistic, social, and demographic contexts under which Krio emerged, expanded, and evolved. It appraises effects of language contact (historical and current) on phonological, lexical, lexico-semantic, and morphosyntactic properties of Krio and processes involved (borrowing, grammaticalization, calquing, transfer, etc.) in development and evolution of such properties. It also assesses the effects of expanded usage of Krio in public domains (entertainment, media, politics, education, etc.) on current usage of the language. Text could also be a resource for academic teaching and language advocacy in pidgin and creole speaking communities. The text will be of interest to students, scholars, and practitioners interested in pidgin and creole linguistics, particularly those engaged in comparative work of pidgin and creole languages.