Phonological aspects of the Upper Guinea Portuguese Creoles

Abstract

This research compares the phonological aspects of the modern varieties of Guinea-Bissau Creole, Cape Verdean Creole and Papiamentu (the Upper Guinea Portuguese Creoles) in order to find their similarities and differences. For the Guinea-Bissau Creole, we used data and descriptions of Chapouto (2014) and Costa (2014); for the Cape Verdean Creole and the Papiamentu, in turn, the study of Freitas (2016) was used. As far as the vowel system is concerned, the three languages have the five vowels /i e a o u/; however, the Guinea-Bissau Creole does not present the distinction between close-mid vowels and open-mid vowels and Papiamentu has front rounded vowels. Regarding the consonantal system, the three languages do not distinguish between two rhotic consonants and possibly did not have /v z/ in the initial stages. From the analysis, we can see that the three languages, despite their common origin, followed different paths of development, with their own strategies and receiving influences from the languages which they are in contact with.