Talk:Creole (language)/Definition

Changes

I had to pretty much rip up part of Aleta's definition - sorry Aleta, not having a go at you - because a creole is not so much a 'hybrid' of existing languages as a system in its own right, whose grammar and vocabulary can only be indirectly and distantly related to the native languages of the two or more groups. Broad Jamaican creole, for example, doesn't use readily identifiably English words with the grammar of some African language(s), and speakers of those languages will not understand it. Actually, there are hybrid languages out there, but they're not creoles.

Also, it's very difficult to define 'creole' without first understanding what a 'pidgin' is, so I feel a definition within a definition is unavoidable. What do readers think? Is the definition understandable?

Finally, I seem to remember there was a recommendation somewhere that we don't include links in definitions, so I removed the brackets. John Stephenson 20:10, 4 March 2008 (CST)

It don't bother me none; I'm sure you're right.

With respect to not linking in definitions, though, I don't know if that's true, and even if so, I'm not so sure that's right; seems to me it would be helpful. Naturally I'll bow to consensus.

Aleta Curry 20:22, 4 March 2008 (CST)