Styles and Stylistic Change in Creole Languages: Formal Language in the Eastern Maroon Creole

Sociolinguistic research on Creoles traditionally investigates the interaction between a Creole and a standardized language using quantitative methods. It is assumed that Creoles do not have stylistic depth and that varieties or styles of Creole arise from this interaction. Drawing on ethnographic data (observations, recordings) from the Eastern Maroon Creoles, I demonstrate that speakers recognize and target different regional and situational styles for their everyday interactions and also draw on them for identity styling. Styles are also affected differently by change. Code-mixing is indeed prominent in certain kinds of interactions for at least some people but does not always involve the same languages. In other contexts, especially those subject to negative politeness constraints, change involves language internal processes where socio-culturally integrated elements are replaced with more transparent options. The chapter argues for a more holistic approach to style in research on Creoles.