Middle English creole hypothesis facts for kids
The Middle English creole hypothesis is an idea that the English language became a creole. A creole language is a new language that forms when speakers of different languages need to communicate. This often happens when two languages mix, and the new language usually has simpler grammar rules than the original languages.
Some experts in language history believe that English went through this process around the 11th century, during the Norman conquest of England. They point to big changes between Old English (spoken before the Norman Conquest) and Middle English (spoken after).
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What is the Creole Idea?
The idea that English might be a creole was first suggested in 1977 by C.-J. Bailey and K. Maroldt. There are different versions of this idea:
- Some think English became a creole because of contact between Old English and Norman French.
- Others suggest it was due to contact between Old English and Old Norse (the language of the Vikings).
- A few even thought it might be from Common Brittonic (an old Celtic language) mixing with English. However, there isn't much written proof for the influence of Celtic languages on English.
Why Some Think English is a Creole
One main reason people support the Middle English creole idea is how much English grammar changed from Old English to Middle English.
- Grammar Simplification: Old English had many "inflected forms." This means words changed their endings depending on their role in a sentence (like how "I" changes to "me" or "my"). In Middle English, many of these endings disappeared or became much simpler.
- Nouns: The way nouns changed their forms (called declension) became much easier.
- Verbs: Verbs also lost many old patterns of changing their forms (called conjugation). Many "strong verbs" (like "sing, sang, sung") became "weak verbs" (like "walk, walked, walked").
- Moods: The "subjunctive mood" (used for wishes or possibilities) became less distinct.
- Word Order: The way words were put together in sentences (called syntax) also became simpler. Word order became more fixed, meaning you couldn't move words around as much as in Old English.
These kinds of grammar simplifications are often seen in contact languages. These are languages that develop when people who speak different languages need to talk to each other. Such languages usually get rid of or greatly simplify the complex grammar rules of the original languages.
Arguments Against the Creole Idea
The Middle English creole hypothesis has supporters, but also many who disagree with it in the academic world.
Why English Might Not Be a Creole
Experts like Sarah Thomason and Terrence Kaufman have strongly argued against the creole idea. They looked at the possibility of English becoming a creole with Old Norse or French. They concluded that the changes seen in English can be better explained by "borrowing" words and ideas, rather than a full creole process.
- Internal Changes: They point out that many of the grammar changes happened over a long time. These changes started in English even before the Norman Conquest.
- Vocabulary Borrowing: They also note that most French words were borrowed into English *after* French was no longer the main language spoken by the rich and powerful people in England.
- Wider Trends: Some changes in English during this time were also happening in other Germanic languages. This suggests that bigger language trends were influencing English, not just contact with French or Norse.
Another important argument against the creole idea is that English still has many irregular verbs (about 283 of them). These are verbs that don't follow the usual pattern for past tense (like "go, went" instead of "go, goed"). Other Germanic languages also have many irregular verbs. In creole languages, irregular verbs are usually one of the first things to disappear or become regular.
See also
- English-based creole languages
- History of English
- Influence of French on English
- Language convergence
- Germanic substrate hypothesis
