Beach-la-Mar to Bislama
The Emergence of a National Language in Vanuatu
Format:Hardback
Publisher:Oxford University Press
Published:25th Oct '90
Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back
This book provides a detailed history of Bislama, exploring its development and the complexities of language contact in Vanuatu.
The book Beach-la-Mar to Bislama offers an in-depth exploration of Bislama, a unique variety of Melanesian Pidgin spoken in Vanuatu. Authored by Terry Crowley, the work delves into the language's history and development from the 1840s to the present day. As the first installment in a new series focusing on language contact, it sets the stage for future case studies that examine how languages interact and evolve in diverse contexts.
Throughout Beach-la-Mar to Bislama, Crowley meticulously reviews the labor history of Vanuatu, highlighting the interactions among speakers of various languages over time. By analyzing written records from the early contact period, the author provides insights into how communication developed and how Bislama emerged as a distinct language. The book also addresses the complexities of grammatical constructions within Bislama, offering a thorough treatment of their evolution and the ongoing syntactic developments.
In discussing the origins of these grammatical features, Crowley tackles the contentious topic of substratum influence in Bislama's grammar. He presents evidence supporting the existence of substratum patterns while also acknowledging that structural similarities alone do not suffice as proof. Instead, he invites readers to consider a range of explanations for the linguistic parallels observed. This comprehensive examination makes Beach-la-Mar to Bislama a valuable resource for anyone interested in language contact and the dynamics of linguistic evolution.
`an outstanding contribution to our knowledge of the pidgin spoken in Vanuatu ... the study presents a comparative perspective from both a present-day and an historical point of view ... There is no doubt that Crowley has provided a detailed and provocative sociolinguistic study of a language which, up until now, has received limited attention.' Discourse and Society
'Crowley's portrait of Bislama history is an important contribution to P/C theoretical debate ... this book provides the most cpomplete synchronic and diachronic description of any P/C to date ... It will be ignored by creolists at their peril.' Chris Corne, Journal of Pacific History, No. 2, 1992
'he lived in Vanuatu for a decade or more, speaking Bislama on a daily basis; and he has published what has become the authoritative dictionary of that language ... The book is well presented, with examples clearly set out and with footnotes at the bottom of each page rather than tucked away at the back ... this is an extremely valuable addition to the literature on Melanesian Pidgin and on pidgin/creole studies generally. But it is more than that: Because of the attention paid to the effects on the language of interethnic contact and social and political developments in Vanuatu, it is also a valuable contribution to the social history of the Pacific.' John lynch, University of the South Pacific, Pacific Studies, Vol. 16, No. 4, December 1993
`Crowley's discussion of the origin of Bislama vocabulary is of particular interest ... Another feature of the book is the detailed attention to the development of the language - both lexically and grammatically - over the decades.' Pacific Studies
C. has to be commended for having put together, in the five historical chapters, linguistic and sociohistorical data on Bislama that tremendously increases our knowledge not only of the pidgin of Vanuatu, but of the other Melanesian pidgins as well. This is a remarkable piece of historical linguistics...one is amazed at the richness of data that the author was able to unearth. * Language, Vol 71 no 1 *
- Winner of NEW SERIES.
ISBN: 9780198248934
Dimensions: 242mm x 162mm x 31mm
Weight: 853g
448 pages