Tracing the origin of modality in the creoles of Suriname

Abstract

Creole TMA systems have figured prominently in debates on creole genesis. Bickerton argued that the similarities between creole TMA systems support the operation of a language bioprogram in creole formation. Lefebvre maintains that the similarities between the Haitian and Fongbe TMA system are evidence of the importance of substrate influence.While insightful, these studies are not conclusive. This paper therefore investigates the origin of two subsystems of modality in the creoles of Suriname. Based on a comparison of the strategies employed by three maroon creoles and their main substrate, and a consideration of early textual evidence, it argues that contact-induced and language-internal change contributed to the emergence and development of the modality system of the creoles of Suriname.

Cross-linguistic influence in language creation: Assessing the role of the Gbe languages in the formation of the Creoles of Suriname

“…This comparison is extended to forms in Portuguese and English, two superstrate languages that were present at various states of the formation of the creoles. Based on differences in the forms of possibility modals as well as the meanings they convey across the Gbe varieties, the authors argue, contra Migge (2006), that Maxigbe-type morphemes could not have served as models for the possibility morpheme in the creoles. Similarly, they argue, contra Migge and Winford (2009), that the Ewegbe form did not form the basis of the expression of all possibility senses.…”

“…The origin of TMA plays a major role in the debate on creole origins, and the influence of African languages in this domain has been remarked on since the close of the 19 th and the beginning of the 20 th centuries (Van Name, 1869;Schuchardt, 1914;and Hesseling, 1905). In the specific case of the Suriname creoles, the influence of the Gbe languages has been amply demonstrated (Migge 2006;Migge and Winford, 2009;Winford and Migge, 2007). However, like some other phenomena reported in other studies in this volume, modality is expressed differently in varieties of Gbe.…”

“…This raises the question of the relative importance of the different Gbe varieties in the formation of the expression of possibility and necessity modality in the Surinamese Creoles. For instance while Migge (2006) proposes that possibility modality in Eastern Maroon Creoles and Saramaccan is based on that in Gbe varieties like Maxigbe, Migge and Winford (2009) propose that it is derived from Ewegbe. To resolve this issue, among others, Essegbey et al compare not only the form of the possibility and necessity modals but also the temporal interpretations that they give rise to when they occur with verbs in the various languages.…”

“…Research on the Surinamese creoles in particular has addressed the role of substrate languages in areas such as serial verb constructions (McWhorter, 1992;Migge, 1998), copular-type constructions and adjectival-like predication (Migge, 2000(Migge, , 2002, predicate reduplication (Migge, 2003), tense, mood and aspect systems (Migge and Winford, 2009;Winford and Migge, 2007;Migge, 2006;Winford, 2006), locative constructions (Essegbey, 2005), certain kinds of complementation (Plag, 1995;Lefebvre and Loranger, 2006;Aboh 2006), focus constructions (Smith, 2006), semantic structures Huttar et al, 2007;Smith, 1987). These studies have provided many important insights into the relationship between Gbe languages and the Surinamese Creoles.…”

Roots of Creole Structures

“…Studies of TMA in Gbe (Lefebvre 1996, 1998, Lefebvre & Brousseau 2002Winford & Migge 2007;Migge 2006) also reveal significant similarities among the Gbe varieties in terms of the overall structure, the categories involved and the elements used to express them (Tables 3 & 4). 5 discussion of the categorical status of the elements under investigation is provided along with the discussion of the uses of each element.…”