Now showing 1 - 3 of 3
  • Publication
    Assessing the Sociolinguistic Situation of the Maroon Creoles
    (John Benjamins Publishing, 2015) ;
    Recent anthropological and socio-historical research on Maroon populations suggests that Maroon communities have undergone significant social change since the 1960s spurred by processes of urbanization. However, to date very little is known about how these social changes are impacting on the Maroon Creoles as there is very little sociolinguistic research being carried out in the region. The aim of this paper is to examine the sociolinguistic context of the Maroon Creoles in the light of data from two recent sociolinguistic surveys carried out in Suriname and French Guiana. The findings demonstrate that the sociolinguistic status of Maroon languages has undergone various changes. Several of them are now well represented in French Guiana and, as additional languages, are gaining speakers both in Suriname and French Guiana. While their speakers increasingly practice them together with other languages, thus displaying their multilingual repertoire, there is little indication that their survival is threatened because their speakers predominantly hold positive attitudes towards them.
      475Scopus© Citations 11
  • Publication
    Language naming practices, ideologies and linguistic practices: Toward a comprehensive description of language varieties
    (Cambridge University Press, 2006-07) ;
    Although it is well accepted that linguistic naming conventions provide valuable insights into the social and linguistic perceptions of people, this topic has not received much attention in sociolinguistics. Studies focus on the etymology of names, details about the social and historical circumstances of their emergence, and their users, and sometimes make recommendations about the appropriateness of terms. This article departs from this tradition. Focusing on the term 'Takitaki' in French Guiana, it shows that an analysis of the discursive uses of language names by all local actors provides significant insights into the social and linguistic makeup of a complex sociolinguistic situation. Descriptions of languages in such settings should be based on the varieties identified by such an analysis and on practices in a range of naturalistic interactions. Based on these analytical steps, the authors propose a multi-perspective approach to language documentation.
    Scopus© Citations 29  672
  • Publication
    Langues et créoles en Guyane
    (Délégation générale à la langue française et aux langues de France, 2017-09) ;
    Guyane. Les locuteurs des langues qu’on dit parfois marronnes sont les descendants des esclaves en fuite des plantations (ou Marrons) et à chaque langue correspond un groupe ethnique traditionnel (Aluku, Ndyuka, Pamaka, Saamaka). Les locuteurs des trois premiers groupes utilisent souvent le terme nenge ou nengee pour faire reference à leur langue et le terme nengre pour renvoyer au sranan tongo.
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