Half-breed, mulatto, creole

Abstract

AbstractExpounding the historical contingency of concepts of amalgamation and hybridization, this chapter investigates the relationship of race and language and that of racism and linguistic purism in lay perspective as well as linguistic theory formation. How do these ideologies differ from each other and what do they have in common? The chapter presents two cases of language contact brought about by intercontinental population movements that shed light on popular assumptions about language and race. It also looks at the role of writing as an undesirable but inescapable template of conceptualizing language; and it addresses the temporal dimension of hybridization, that is, after how many years/generations—half-breeds and creoles cease to be half-breeds and creoles. On the ideological side it looks at the reliability of categories and discusses parallels between racism and purism.