The tense-mood-aspect systems of the languages of Suriname

Abstract

This chapter focuses on the stability of forms, meanings, and structural patterns of tense, mood, and aspect (TMA) marking in the languages of Suriname. Despite its prominent position in the creolization debate and occasional mentions in the literature on linguistic areas, studies on TMA in (non creolization) contact settings are relatively few. TMA is well studied in the world’s language, in descriptive terms, in typology, creolization and historical development & grammaticalization. In a relatively short period of time, Suriname has seen numerous, often radical, linguistic developments due to its many languages, pervasive multilingualism, and array of contact scenarios. We will investigate the vulnerability of features to contact induced changes in the TMA systems of the Surinamese creoles, Surinamese Dutch, Sarnami, and Surinamese Javanese.