Language Attrition in Louisiana Creole French

LANGUAGE ATTRITION IN LOUISIANA CREOLE FRENCH 8
consequence, differs from code-switching because convergence does not require
bilingualism. When two languages are in close contact over an extended period
of time, the languages‟ structures converge, or begin to approximate one
another.
The following three possible consequences of language contact—mixing,
pidginization, and creolization—arise when speakers have limited access to
acquiring one another‟s languages. Mixing occurs when the grammar of one
language is applied to the lexicon of another. Mixing differs from pidginization
in that the mixed language maintains both the structure and quantity of the
original grammatical and lexical items. However, none of these four
consequences occur in the LCF context. On the other hand, the last two
consequences, pidginization and creolization, directly led to the formation of
LCF.
The fifth possible consequence of language contact is pidginization.
Pidginization occurs when two groups of adult speakers, who have already
achieved fluency in their native languages, come into contact with one another.
Also known as „auxiliary‟ languages, pidgin languages are formed to facilitate
communication between these different communities. Pidgins are characterized
by the fact that they have no native speakers, have a regulated set of rules that
determine the linguistic output, and are not mutually intelligible with the
languages from which they originate. An additional characteristic that can be
used to (but is not required to) define a pidgin is the fact that their grammars
have fewer structures than the originating languages.