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The distribution of diagnostic features in English-lexified contact languages 41
[200c] him no tink me butt him 1827 (Winer 1993: 79)
‘he didn’t think I would hit him’
[200d] At last him take road, run way 1827 (Winer 1993: 79)
‘At last he took to the road and ran away’
[200e] you say … him you modder 1827 (Winer 1993: 79)
‘you’ll say … he’s your mother’
It also occurs twice in a slightly later text, cf. [200f] and [200g]:
[200f] me tink him dam drunk 1831 (Alexander 1833, Vol. I: 205)
‘I think he is damned drunk’
[200g] him black nigger 1831 (Alexander 1833,Vol. I: 205)
‘he is a black Negro’
Finally, the feature at issue is found in yet another text, cf. 200h]:
[200h] him werry tin 1851 (Day 1852, Vol. 2)
‘it is very thin’
On the strength of the evidence provided by these four independent sources,
feature [200] him (3SG) can be considered to have existed in Tri & Tbg.
Table 6. The world-wide status of five features
Feature classified as Pacific
Atlantic varieties in which it is attested
(Baker and Huber 2001)
[259] calico ‘cloth(es)’ SVi, Tri & Tbg
[268] first time ‘ahead, formerly’ Alu, Jam, Kri, Lib, Ndy, Sar, Sra, Lib, Tri & Tbg
[277] look see ‘inspect, see’ Kri, Sra, Tri & Tbg
[287] saltwater ‘sea; coastal’ Jam, MSL, Sra, Tri & Tbg
[295] verb-vn (transitive suffix) AssCamPE, Bjn, CamPE, FPPE, NPE, Tri & Tbg
Table 6 shows that the 5 features at issue are found in (at least) the following
Atlantic pidgins and creoles, either in their earlier stages or in the modern
varieties 5 :
Evidence from Tri & Tbg also sheds light on the classification of some of
the diagnostic features suggested by Baker and Huber (2001). The occurrence in
Tri & Tbg of the features [268] first time ‘ahead, formerly’, [277] look see ‘inspect,
see’, [287] saltwater ‘sea; coastal’, and [295] VERB-VN (transitive suffix)
constitutes further evidence in support of the proposal by Avram (2004b) that
these allegedly Pacific features (Baker and Huber 2001: 203–204) should be
5
Abbreviations: Alu = Aluku; AssCamPE = Assimilated Cameroon Pidgin English; CamPE =
Cameroon Pidgin English; FPPE = Fernando Po Pidgin English; Guy = Guyanese; Lib = Liberia;
MSL = Jamaican Maroon Spirit Possession Language; Ndy = Ndyuka; NPE = Nigerian
Pidgin English; Sar = Saramaccan; Sra = Sranan; SVi = St Vincentian. For attestations
see Avram (2004b).