Point of view plays in important role in pidgin and creole studies. One useful way of approaching point of view is to ask whether the author's perspective wants to be emic or etic: that is, whether the view is purporting to be from the 'inside' or the 'outside.' Most creolists try in some way to 'get at' the perspectives of those they study. However, the theoretical approach adopted by an author plays an important and often unacknowledged role in determining its findings. In particular, two perspectives or approaches dominate pidgin and creole studies today, the sociolinguistic approach and the generative approach. Each has its own assumptions, methods, intentions and reductions. Pidgins and creoles provide a rich ource of evidence with which to frame and test these methods. The adoption of multiple perspectives in such a context is not only possible, but necessary if an adequate explanation of pidgin and creole language systems is to be had.
Summary: