Applied Creolistics in the 21st Century

Abstract

Applied creolistics can be defined as: "The application of the theories, methods, or findings of pidgin and creole linguistics (or creolistics) to the solution of practical problems." (This follows definitions of applied linguistics, such as that of Crystal, 1987, p. 415.) The major undisputed finding of creolistics is that pidgins, creoles, semicreoles, and related nonstandard or minority dialects are legitimate, rule-governed varieties of language that differ in systematic ways from recognized standard languages. This is opposed to the still popular stereotype of these varieties as corrupted, incorrect, and illegitimate forms of careless speech.