English and Sranan modals in simple sentences: a Comparative Analysis

This thesis discusses and analyses the commonalities and disparities in syntax between English as a superstrate and Sranan, an English-based pidgin that is now a creole. As freed slaves and new generations of native speakers have continued using the creole, it has separated itself from the original context as a pidgin dependent on English lexicon and grammar. The study conducted for the thesis functioned as an opportunity to learn how modern-day Sranan modal expressions help demonstrate tense in simple clauses compared to modern-day English modals. The comparative analysis was based on the Burton-Roberts analytic methodology (2016), including syntactic trees, to aid in visualising relations between clauses and within phrases. A native speaker was interviewed to gain practical and implemental knowledge about the translations used in the analysis. Since English was the superstrate for Sranan, the sentences were translated from English to Sranan to ensure non-variable sentences with...Show moreThis thesis discusses and analyses the commonalities and disparities in syntax between English as a superstrate and Sranan, an English-based pidgin that is now a creole. As freed slaves and new generations of native speakers have continued using the creole, it has separated itself from the original context as a pidgin dependent on English lexicon and grammar. The study conducted for the thesis functioned as an opportunity to learn how modern-day Sranan modal expressions help demonstrate tense in simple clauses compared to modern-day English modals. The comparative analysis was based on the Burton-Roberts analytic methodology (2016), including syntactic trees, to aid in visualising relations between clauses and within phrases. A native speaker was interviewed to gain practical and implemental knowledge about the translations used in the analysis. Since English was the superstrate for Sranan, the sentences were translated from English to Sranan to ensure non-variable sentences with modals for comparison. After these translations, the syntactic structure of simple clauses, including modals in both languages, were compared, focusing on how modals may facilitate the specification of tense. A comparative analysis of English and Sranan simple declarative and interrogative clauses was conducted to discover potential patterns. These analyses revealed patterns in the simple clauses and verb phrases in English and Sranan that were influenced by modality. Each analysis demonstrated overlap and contrast between the languages in tense marking and verb inflection. By the end of the thesis, it becomes clear that, in English, there are differences in word order in clauses. English verb phrases can contain auxiliary and lexical verbs that influence tense in declarative and interrogative sentences. However, in Sranan, word order does not change in either declarative or interrogative sentences. Additionally, Sranan does not use auxiliary and lexical verbs in clauses to indicate tense, using tense markers instead to imply timeframe. Based on the results of the comparative analysis, it can be concluded that Sranan modals function differently than English modals in verb phrases and clauses. As Sranan modals do not directly influence tense, there is a need for another functional class, in this case, tense markers.Show less

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English and Sranan modals in simple sentences: a Comparative Analysis