Book contents
- The Evolution, Acquisition, and Development of Syntax
- The Evolution, Acquisition, and Development of Syntax
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Figures
- Tables
- Contributors
- Acknowledgments
- Abbreviations
- 1 Introduction
- Part I The Evolution of Syntax
- Part II The Acquisition of Syntax
- Part III The Development of Syntax
- 11 A Matter of Degree: All Languages are Mixed
- 12 Negative Concord in Creole Languages: Commonality and Variation in the Perspective of Bickerton’s Legacy
- 13 Contrasting the NPs of Indian Ocean French Creoles
- 14 The Nature and Development of the “Quacking Duck”
- 15 Beyond Creole: Reflexive Constructions in Cape Verdean Portuguese
- 16 Decreolization: A Special Case of Language Change?
- Index
- References
12 - Negative Concord in Creole Languages: Commonality and Variation in the Perspective of Bickerton’s Legacy
from Part III - The Development of Syntax
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 19 February 2025
Book contents
- The Evolution, Acquisition, and Development of Syntax
- The Evolution, Acquisition, and Development of Syntax
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Figures
- Tables
- Contributors
- Acknowledgments
- Abbreviations
- 1 Introduction
- Part I The Evolution of Syntax
- Part II The Acquisition of Syntax
- Part III The Development of Syntax
- 11 A Matter of Degree: All Languages are Mixed
- 12 Negative Concord in Creole Languages: Commonality and Variation in the Perspective of Bickerton’s Legacy
- 13 Contrasting the NPs of Indian Ocean French Creoles
- 14 The Nature and Development of the “Quacking Duck”
- 15 Beyond Creole: Reflexive Constructions in Cape Verdean Portuguese
- 16 Decreolization: A Special Case of Language Change?
- Index
- References
Summary
Déprez’s chapter argues that Derek Bickerton was amongst the first linguists to propose a list of properties hypothesised to be common to all creole languages in his groundbreaking Roots of Language (1981). While this list of properties has sometimes inspired research promoting creole languages as unique, Déprez argues that Bickerton’s original view should better be understood as a claim that these properties were possibly universal properties of language at least abstractly and as such instantiated the roots of all languages, not just creole ones. In her contribution she revisits and reassesses Bickerton’s observations about the generality of negative concord as a common property of creole languages and beyond, sorting out what remains of his legacy in this domain from what has been discovered since then about the nature of negation and negative dependencies in creole languages. She bases herself more specifically on a detailed comparison of the French-based creoles but appeals as well to other ones to confirm patterns discovered there or complete them with additional possibilities.
Keywords
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- The Evolution, Acquisition and Development of SyntaxInsights from Creole Languages and Beyond, pp. 209 - 232Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2025
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