Bastard Tongues

Bastard Tongues chronicles linguist Derek Bickerton's research into creole languages and his quest to understand how they emerge and evolve. Through fieldwork in Hawaii, Guyana, and other locations, Bickerton documents his investigations of pidgins and creoles while challenging established linguistic theories. The book follows Bickerton's unconventional research methods and academic journey spanning several decades. His work takes him from plantation-era Hawaii to remote corners of the world as he studies how new languages form when different populations come into contact. Bickerton recounts his attempts to test his theories about language creation through a controversial proposed experiment involving isolated children. The narrative combines scientific inquiry with personal reflection on his career and the nature of academic research. This memoir-meets-linguistics-text explores fundamental questions about human language acquisition and the interface between biology and culture. The book stands as both a scientific investigation and a meditation on how humans transform basic communication systems into rich, full languages.

Readers praise Bickerton's entertaining writing style and his ability to make complex linguistics accessible. Many highlight the mix of scientific content with personal adventure stories from his research. Several note the book provides unique insights into how creole languages form and evolve. Common criticisms focus on Bickerton's ego and self-promotion throughout the text. Multiple readers found the personal anecdotes overshadowed the linguistic content. Some academic readers note a lack of rigorous evidence supporting his bioprogram theory. A Goodreads reviewer wrote: "He comes across as arrogant but backs it up with fascinating research." Another noted: "Less autobiography and more linguistics would have made this stronger." Ratings: Goodreads: 3.9/5 (232 ratings) Amazon: 4.3/5 (41 ratings) LibraryThing: 3.8/5 (28 ratings) Most reviews recommend it for general readers interested in linguistics rather than academic specialists.

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🌟 Derek Bickerton lived in Hawaii for over 20 years, where he studied Hawaiian Creole English, a language that emerged from the interactions between plantation workers who spoke different native languages. 🌟 The book's title "Bastard Tongues" refers to creole languages, which were historically dismissed as corrupted or illegitimate versions of European languages. 🌟 Bickerton developed the "Language Bioprogram Hypothesis," which suggests that children are born with an innate ability to create language structure, explaining why creoles around the world share similar features. 🌟 The author conducted groundbreaking research in Guyana, where he discovered that different generations of speakers used distinctly different forms of creole, providing evidence for his theories about language evolution. 🌟 Bickerton proposed a controversial experiment (never implemented) to isolate families speaking different languages on an island to observe how their children would develop a new creole language naturally.