Semantic primes in Atlantic Iberoromance-based Creoles
Superstrate continuity or innovation?
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1558/sols.v7i1.31Keywords:
Natural Semantic Metalanguage Theory, semantic primes, lexicon, Iberoromance-based CreolesAbstract
Much of the literature on Creole languages has focused on their genesis. In this study, we take the Natural Semantic Metalanguage framework as a starting point for yet another genesis-oriented comparative study of five Iberoromance-based Creoles, Kabuverdianu, São-Tomense, Angolar, Papiamentu and Palenquero. The proposal of the NSM framework is to establish a natural semantic metalanguage consisting of a set of semantic primes common to and translatable into all languages. Whether these semantic primes consist of items retained from the lexifier language, or whether they have been taken from the sub- and/or adstrate can be argued to be of certain interest to the debate on the origin and nature of Creole languages. Our results confirm our initial hypothesis that the semantic primes of Creole languages are in their majority derived from the corresponding lexifier language. Differences in the exact amount of non-lexifier-derived primes roughly correspond to the amount of non-lexifier items in the Creole’s lexicon at large.
References
Alexander, N. & T. Hagemeijer (2004). “The nominal domain in Santome”. In M. Fernández, M. Fernández Ferreiro & N. Vázquez Veiga (eds.), Actas del III Encuentro de ACBLPE (Associação de Crioulos de Base Lexical Portuguesa e Espanhola). Madrid & Frankfurt: Iberoamericana & Vervuert, 85-100.
Bartens, A. (1995). Dieiberoromanisch-basierten Kreolsprachen: Ansätze der linguistischen Beschreibung. Frankfurt am Main: Peter Lang.
Bartens, A. (1996). Der kreolische Raum: Geschichte und Gegenwart. Helsinki: Die Finnische Akademie der Wissenschaften.
Dieck, M. (2000). La negación en palenquero. Análisis sincrónico, studio comparativo y consecuencias teóricas. Madrid & Frankfurt: Iberoamericana & Vervuert.
Ferraz, L. (1978). “The Creole of São Tomé”. African Studies 37(1), 3-66 & 37(2), 235-88.
Ferraz, L. & M.F. Valkhoff (1975). “A comparative study of São-tomense and Caboverdiano Creole”. In M.F. Valkhoff (ed.), Miscelânea luso-africana. Lisboa: Junta de Investigações Científicas do Ultramar, 15-39.
Goddard, C. & A. Wierzbicka (2002). “Semantic primes and universal grammar”. In C. Goddard A. Wierzbicka (eds.), Meaning and universal grammar. Theory and empirical findings. Volume I. Amsterdam & Philadelphia: John Benjamins, 41-85.
Hagemeijer, T. (2000). Serial Verb Cosntructions in São-Tomense. MA thesis, Faculdade de Letras, Universidade de Lisboa.
Kouwenberg, S. & E. Murray (1994). Papiamentu. (Languages of the World/Materials 83). München: Lincom Europa.
Lang, J. (dir.) (2002). Dicionário do crioulo da Ilha de Santiago (Cabo Verde) com equivalents de tradução em alemão e portugués. Tübingen: Gunter Narr.
Lorenzino, G.A. (1998). The Angolar Creole Portuguese of São Tomé: Its grammar and sociolinguistic history. München: Lincom Europa.
Maurer, Ph. (1988). Les modifications temporelles et modales du verbe dans le papiamento de Curaçao (Antilles Néerlandaises). Hamburg: Buske.
Maurer, Ph. (1995). L’angolar. Un créole afro-portugais parlé à São Tomé. Hamburg: Buske.
Patiño Rosselli, C. (1983). “El habla en el Palenque de San Basilio”. In N. S. Friedemann & C. Patiño Rosselli (eds.), Lengua y sociedad en el Palenque de San Basilio. Bogotá: Instituto Caro y Cuervo, 83-295.
Schwegler, A. (2002a). “On the (African) origins of Palenquero subject pronouns”. Diachronica 19(2), 273-332.
Schwegler, A. (2002b). “El voca bulario africano de Palenque. Segunda parte: compendio alfabético de palabras (con etimologías)”. In Y. Moniño & A .
Schwegler (eds.), Palenque, Cartagena y Afro-Caribe: historia y lengua. Tübingen: Niemeyer, 171-226.
Silva, T.V. da (ed.) (1987). Na bóka noti. Un libru di stórias tradisional organizadu y prizentadu pa T.V. da Silva. Vol. I. Praia: Instituto Kauberdianu di Libru.
Stanwood, R. (1997). “The primitive syntax of mental predicates in Hawaii Creole English: A text-based study”. Language Sciences 19(3), 209-17.
Travis, C. (2002). “La metalengua semántica natural: The natural semantic metalanguage of Spanish”. In C. Goddard & A. Wierzbicka (eds.), Meaning and universal grammar. Theory and empirical findings. Volume I. Amsterdam & Philadelphia: John Benjamins, 173-242.
Wiezbicka, A. (2003). Cross-cultural pragmatics. The semantics of human interaction. (2nd edition). Berlin & New York: Mouton de Gruyter.
Wiezbicka, A. (2004). “Conceptual primes in human languages and their analogues in animal communication and cognition”. Language Sciences 26(5), 413-41. The NSM Homepage:
<>
