This paper challenges the prevailing views on creole language complexity and grammatical transmission. It argues against the idea that creoles possess the simplest grammars or that grammatical features are robustly transmitted during their formation. The paper proposes a theoretical framework outlining three distinct second-language acquisition (SLA) processes—borrowing, imposition, and grammatical reduction—influencing creole development. It analyzes how these processes differentially affect the transmission of grammatical features from ancestor languages, explaining why certain features are preserved while others are lost or simplified.

Sandro Sessarego