Journal of Pidgin and Creole Languages· 2026Q2
Navigating prestige variants across multiple dimensions
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- Q2SCImago
- 2026year
Short summary
Haitian Creole speakers navigate competing norms for /r/ and /w/ pronunciations, influenced by gender, region, and bilingual status.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Key points
- Haitian Creole speakers use [r] and [w] as allophones for both phonemes.
- Gender, region, and bilingual status influence the pronunciation of /r/ and /w/.
- Speakers navigate multiple, sometimes conflicting, sociolinguistic norms.
- The study analyzes data from 40 Haitian Creole speakers.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Abstract
Abstract In this study, we examine which characteristics are routinely associated with linguistic variants, and how the sociolinguistic and societal landscape may influence the range of possible characteristics by analyzing realizations of /r/ and /w/ in Haitian Creole. In Haitian Creole, [r] and [w] are attested allophones for both phonemes (e.g. Hogan & Allen 1999 ). Using data from 40 Haitian Creole speakers, we conduct a variationist sociolinguistic analysis testing how gender, region, and bilingual status condition pronunciations of /r/ and /w/. Overall, we (a) show how speakers navigate different and sometimes opposing norms, and (b) incorporate our findings into our understanding of linguistic prestige.
The authors' abstract, as published at the source. Journal of Pidgin and Creole Languages, 2026 · DOI ↗
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Field: Linguistics and Language
Linguistics and LanguageSocial Sciences