Isolation, koinéisation, hybridisation: The story of Fernando Po Creole English (Equatorial Guinea)

Abstract

Fernando Po Creole English (referred to as 'Pichi' or 'Pichinglis' by its speakers) is an English lexicon Creole spoken on the island of Bioko (formerly Fernando Po) in the Gulf of Guinea and is a direct descendant of Sierra Leonean Krio. The language is characterised by an exceptional sociohistory, and thence, a distinct Grammar and phonology which sets it apart from other West African English Creoles. The forces that have shaped Fernando Po Creole English are its century-long isolation from Krio, the koinéisation of West African English Creoles on Bioko in the face of large-scale immigration by speakers of other varieties, as well as the hybridisation of the language through heavy contact with Spanish and large-scale shift to Fernando Po Creole English from Bube, the Bantu language indigenous to Bioko island. In this talk, I will show how the complex scenario in which Fernando Po Creole English has been evolving has profoundly affected the linguistic system of the language. The facts about Fernando Po Creole English also provide the opportunity to reflect whether internal and contact-induced language change affect a Creole language in ways different from non-Creoles.