By way of applying computational tools from the field of evolutionary biology, Creole studies: Phylogenetic approaches is out to shed new light on several perennial questions in the study of creoles, such as creole genesis and various types of interrelations—among creoles, with lexifiers, and with other languages.
The contributions to this volume all concentrate on the ‘big picture’, that is, they present typological mappings and comparisons of the linguistic varieties under scrutiny. The studies compile and investigate sets of typological features from different linguistic levels, which are then visualised in the form of phylogenetic networks. As the resultant networks translate complex data sets into accessible illustrations, they allow for a closer inspection of the groupings of, and the relative distances between, linguistic entities. On account of this, they successfully test old claims and formulate new hypotheses regarding structural similarities among and divergences between creoles and other languages.
Across the book's main contributions, which explore typological relations between specific languages either through morphosyntactic and syntactic features or on the basis of lexical semantics, the authors take into account a large number of creoles from various regions (African, Asian, Atlantic, Pacific). Their samples also include creoles of non-European origin, such as Juba Arabic in South Sudan (ch. 9 by Yonatan Goldshtein), respective lexifiers, substrates, and various adstrates, extending the scope to additional postcolonial contact varieties, notably three Afro-Hispanic varieties spoken in South America (ch. 12 by Danae M. Perez, Sandro Sessarego, & Eeva Sippola).
The chapters all constitute self-sufficient studies, but can be said to revolve, in one way or another, around the paradoxical nature of creoles understood as a diverse group of languages with a distinct typological profile, a view reflected in the two following central and recurrent findings: (i) in networks based on morphosyntactic and syntactic features, creoles, regardless of their origin, tend to group with one another and not with their lexifiers (cf. chs. 6–12), and (ii) using parameters of lexical semantics, creoles do group with their lexifiers, though not all in equal proximity (cf. chs. 13–15).
However, there are apparent limitations to the analytical potential of these methods, as discussed in a rigorous critical epilogue by Bettina Migge, the inclusion of which is a bold move on the part of the editors. Migge's main point of contention is the exclusive use of decontextualized structural features throughout the studies in this volume, which fail to represent, so she argues, complex linguistic realities. We rather need to devise more nuanced questions that do not reduce languages to ‘simplified objects’, but take into consideration pragmatic and sociolinguistic aspects of language, specific contact settings, and the histories of speakers and their linguistic practices. Hence, Migge appeals for the development of novel, more democratic research modalities and enhanced collaboration with the speakers of the studied languages to overcome the current limitations of creole and general linguistic typology.
Nevertheless, thanks to its open-mindedness towards new methods and subsequent criticism, the book continues the vibrant tradition of theoretical and methodological speculation in the field of creole studies, which keeps informing and enriching related debates in adjacent linguistic subdisciplines.
