Which statement about the relationship between pidgin and creole is true?

Which statement about the relationship between pidgin and creole is true?

• A. A creole language is a pidgin that has evolved to become the group's first language.
• B. A pidgin is a fully developed language
• C. A creole is always a sign language
• D. A pidgin has no grammar, while creole does

Answer: (A)

Pidgin and creole illustrate how language forms can arise from contact between language communities. A pidgin is a makeshift means of communication created when speakers of different languages need to interact; it borrows vocabulary from those languages but has a simplified grammar and limited vocabulary, and it is not learned as a native language by children in the community. A creole develops when children grow up using that pidgin as their first language, and over time the language becomes more complex and stable, with a fuller grammar and a broader lexicon, becoming the primary means of communication for the community. This creolization process is why the statement describes a creole as a pidgin that has evolved into the group’s native language. Creoles are typically spoken languages, not sign languages, and the difference from a pidgin is that the latter is not fully grammatical or native, whereas a creole is. Examples include Haitian Creole from French and Tok Pisin from English.

Pidgin and creole illustrate how language forms can arise from contact between language communities. A pidgin is a makeshift means of communication created when speakers of different languages need to interact; it borrows vocabulary from those languages but has a simplified grammar and limited vocabulary, and it is not learned as a native language by children in the community. A creole develops when children grow up using that pidgin as their first language, and over time the language becomes more complex and stable, with a fuller grammar and a broader lexicon, becoming the primary means of communication for the community. This creolization process is why the statement describes a creole as a pidgin that has evolved into the group’s native language. Creoles are typically spoken languages, not sign languages, and the difference from a pidgin is that the latter is not fully grammatical or native, whereas a creole is. Examples include Haitian Creole from French and Tok Pisin from English.