ISSUES IN PIDGIN AND CREOLE LINGUISTICS
By Richard C. Rath

This hypertext comprises all files in the present directory at the time of first use of this page. Copyright 1994, 1997, by Richard C. Rath. Limited permission for non-remunerative use of this material is granted. Please cite as Richard C. Rath, Issues in Pidgin and Creole Linguistics (Way Net: Pidgin and Creole Hypertext Project, 1997),< http://way.net/creole>.

Several years ago, I set out to explore pidgin and creole linguistics from a number of theoretical approaches. Issues in Pidgin and Creole Linguistics hypertext project is meant to be a general-purpose introduction to the subject. By taking an issues-oriented approach, I also hope to contribute a way of synthesizing "sociolinguistic" and "generative" perspectives on this branch of linguistics. In many respects, the project is a journal of my engagement with the various issues raised as I struggled to learn simultaneously both from "theoretical" and "sociological" linguists while looking out toward, and inward from, other disciplines. Finally, the goal of the project is to express some of the broader implications of pidgin and creole linguistics for people in the social sciences, humanities,...and the "real" world.

The Main Lines of Inquiry is the best place to start reading. It is from there that each of the five overlapping hypertext "webs" is begun. If you wish to bookmark a page, that is the one. This is a "live" project, so your feedback, reactions, and opinions can be incorporated instantly. Please engage. Every page has links to the following:

• An "UP" link to the parent topic mostly closely associated with the page.
• A site map to quickly make jumps that are not explicitly made on your current screen.
• A search function for the project.
• The discussion section. Your participation, reactions, comments, criticisms and so forth are more than welcome. Please point out any mundane errors using the "errata" section.
• All citations will be found in the bibliograhy, I hope.

This hypertext project has been researched and written (with a little bit of polishing more recently) between 1989-1994 by Richard Rath. It was originally compiled in a searchable hypertext program called "Hygen," before the advent of web browsers. Hence the occasionally odd-looking format for links. Because the hypertext is platform independent, this program is compatible with all browsers, including Lynx. The project was originally intended to be used offline, so the files are many and small, which may make for a sluggish internet experience, depending on traffic. If you find the web version too slow you can download a zipped version of the project to run locally. To use it, simply put the downloaded file in its own directory, unzip it there, and open the "index.html" file from your net browser. You can then delete the zip file. All page links will work instantly. Note that discussions still require an internet connection, and that the search function will only return links to the Way.Net (online) version of the project.

Hygen is a DOS based program that has wonderful text-searching capabilities. Not all of them are translatable to html. If you see funny characters outside a hypertext link, but still within the angle brackets (e.g., <[LINK] -creole> or <[LINK] 2 1>) you can disregard them. You might find them helpful becaus ethey point to specific targets on the linked-to page. You can figure out where in the document the original link pointed like this: Anything following a "-" is a search term. Just find the term after you load the linked page. Numbers with no dash refer to the screen (first number) and line (second number) of the original 24 lines high by 80 characters wide hypertext screen.

I have written another program in Hygen, a self-contained glossary of Generative grammar core concepts in the minimalist frame. This has been available for several years via ftp from various linguistics sites. You can download the zip file for it here. There is no "web" version available, so this one will only run on DOS. It works fine in a DOS window in both Windows 3.1 and Windows 95. No Mac-native version or other platform is available at this time.

Basic batch file conversion of Issues in Pidgin and Creole Linguistics from Hygen's ascii files to html was done with the Hotmetal Pro Information Manager. All the internal hypewrtext links then had to be translated from Hygen's format to HTML. This was done with Thomas A. Lundin's powerful multiple-file search and replace program, SNR, run with a merge file consisting of the old and new (html) file names derived from the log file of Hotmetal's conversion process.