Is Pichi a mixed language?

Abstract

Pichi (also know as Fernando Po Creole English) is an Atlantic English-lexicon Creole spoken on the island of Bioko, Equatorial Guinea. Pichi is an offshoot of Krio (Sierra Leone) and shares many characteristics with its West African sister languages. At the same time, contact with Spanish, the colonial and official language of Equatorial Guinea, has made a significant impact on the lexicon and grammar of Pichi. For one part, Pichi-Spanish language contact is characterised by different types of code-mixing that are conventionalised in varying degrees. On the other hand, there is also heavy borrowing of Spanish lexemes, phrasal expressions, grammatical constructions, and even prosodic features. In this lecture, I will present an overview of the patterns of Pichi-Spanish language contact. In the ensuing discussion, I hope to find an answer to the question: “Can Pichi be considered a mixed language?”