Social and Linguistic Factors in Partial Restructuring
(University of Coimbra)
The aim of this study is to demonstrate
the usefulness of the concept of partially restructured languages. That linguistic theory has failed to deal
with this kind of language up to now is not surprising: they have simply fallen
between the cracks of theory, being neither unrestructured overseas varieties
nor fully restructured creoles. Each
was compared only to varieties of its lexical source language, so it was not
possible for any patterns in their genesis or structure to emerge. It is the comparison of such varieties not only with their source
languages but also with one another–focussing on their sociolinguistic
histories as well as their synchronic morphosyntax–that makes it clear that despite their dissimilar
vocabularies they are, in a very important sense, the same kind of
language, resulting from the same identifiable sociolinguistic
processes.
This study compares
the diachronic development and synchronic structure of Brazilian Vernacular
Portuguese (BVP), African American English (AAE), Afrikaans (AFR), non-standard
Caribbean Spanish (NSCS), and the Vernacular Lects of Reunion French (VLRF).
It demonstrates
that the balance of native and non-native speakers of their source languages
during their early formation--coupled with other sociolinguistic factors--led
to partially restructured varieties retaining a substantial amount of their
source languages' morphosyntax, but also a significant number of substrate and
interlanguage structural features.
By contrasting their diachronic development and key features of their synchronic structure (the morphosyntax of the noun phrase, verb phrase, and clauses), this study identifies the distinctive patterns that language varieties of this type share. This provides the social and linguistic data on which the study's conclusion is based: a formal theoretical model of the linguistic processes that lead to partial restructuring.
Keywords: Brazilian
Vernacular Portuguese; Nonstandard Caribbean Spanish; partial restructuring;
language genesis; social factors.