The University of the West Indies, Mona

This course examines the validity of the term ‘Creole,’ and looks at the world-wide distribution of Creole languages. It aims to familiarize students with the debates on Creole genesis and Creole typology that have dominated the study of these languages and to engage them in a critical evaluation of the positions held by different sides in these debates. It goes on to look at the phenomenon of decreolisation in the context of theories of language change.