Examples of the Creole Continuum

Prepared for SARS 523,
Multi-lingual Education in South/Southeast Asia

  1. A guyanese continuum, Table 3.1: (Source: Bell 1976:136): The sentence I gave him one

  2. Regional Variation, a continuum?

    Standard Language: He's a man who likes his beer vs. He's a man that likes his beer.

    (Regional? post-creole?) continuum: He's a man who likes his beer:

    He's a man who likes his beer.
    He's a man that likes his beer.
    He's a man 'at likes his beer.
    He's a man as likes his beer.
    He's a man what likes his beer.
    He's a man he likes his beer.
    He's a man likes his beer.

  3. Guyanese I told him, in different parts of the continuum, acrolect ("high") to basilect ("low").

    Acrolect (1.) ai tOuld hIm
    2. ai to:ld hIm
    3. ai to:l Im
    4. ai tEl Im
    5. a tEl Im
    6. ai tEl i
    7. a tEl i
    8. mi tEl i
    Basilect (9.) mi tEl am

    Key: