Agency in the Emergence of Creole Languages

“This is one of the most original and innovative works on Creole languages in the Caribbean and elsewhere to have come along in decades, inviting us to consider the role of women, marginalized, and indigenous peoples more fully than we ever have before. Not everyone will agree with the author’s bold proposals, but no one will be able to ignore them, and the field of creole studies will be vivified in the process.”

“This volume is another in a series of outstanding contributions to creole language studies coming out of the Department of English of the University of Puerto Rico at Rio Piedras (UPR-R). It is a comprehensive treatment of the socio-economic/cultural matrices in which the processes of creolisation unfurled. The scope covered surpasses anything previously published. It provides new insights into perennial issues of creole genesis (such as the African Substratum Hypothesis) and deconstructs some of the perennial myths of creole linguistics (such as “mono-causality”). The book also explores a number of other issues; some are new, such as the agency of women; others have only been adumbrated in earlier works, such as the agency of the indigenous peoples of the Caribbean in creole genesis.Another outstanding feature of this volume is that it is the product of collaborative research being undertaken by a team headed by Professor Nicholas Faraclas and including graduate students of the UPR-R. The UPR-R has become a vital centre for creole and contact linguistic studies bringing together expertise on the Pacific, African and Caribbean zones of creolisation. The work of the graduate students augurs well for the continued development of these studies in future generations.”

“This collection of original and provocative essays offers fresh and powerful insights into the contributions made by marginalized groups to every aspect of Caribbean societies, especially language. It is a powerful attempt to remedy previous neglect of the role of women, West Africans and indigenous people in shaping the social and linguistic landscape of New World colonies. Its broad scope and impressive scholarship illuminate the complexity of the emergence of creole cultures and languages. It will undoubtedly have a major impact on the field, and provide promising new avenues for future research in creole studies.”

“Now well into its third century, Creole Studies has become central to formal, historical and socio-linguistics. Focusing on the latter, this volume presents data on hitherto largely ignored elements in Creole formation: the role of women, indigenous Americans and buccaneers among them. A welcome contribution to our growing understanding of this fascinating discipline.”

“A mortal blow to business as usual in creole studies, an indispensable addition to the history of the modern world, with capitalism at its center. The scholar collective authoring this book forces us to rethink multiplicity with respect to agency, race, gender, class, and the rise of capitalism as these phenomena infused, shaped, and made possible the genesis and evolution of pidgin and creole languages. This book’s themes give creole studies the wherewithal to join others on center stage in the analysis of modern world history.”

“An energetic merengue on the remains of Eurocentric assumptions about creole genesis.”