Copula Absence and Leveling in Cherokee Sound and St Helena

English is perhaps the best known language in the world. From its origin, Great Britain, it has spread to various other regions and has developed into further varieties. Some of these, such as American English or Australian English, are well-known but others have only recently been investigated in more detail. Two of these lesser known varieties are Cherokee Sound English (CSE) on the Bahamas and St Helenian English (StHE). Both of these varieties feature certain characteristics that differ from the grammatical structures of Standard English. One such feature is omitting the verb "be" (copula absence) and another one is dropping the inflectional marker in "be", e.g. “they is” (copula leveling). Investigating copula absence and leveling in English varieties can be meaningful because they are characteristic features of pidgin and creole varieties. Therefore, they can help us to gain more information as to whether a variety has derived from a pidgin or creole or was influenced by one through language contact. In this book, the author concisely explains the deletion and leveling of the copula "be" in CSE and StHE. Also, this book gives an insight into the sociohistorical background of CSE and StHE and their relation to creole varieties and is made accessible to a wide readership due to the inclusion of helpful footnote explanations.

Eva Wenger, Master of Arts in English Language and Literature, Psychology and Educational Science at the University of Zurich. Diploma in Secondary and Higher Education in the subjects English and Psychology and Education at the University of Zurich. English teacher at Kantonsschule Zug, Switzerland.