Parkvall Mikael, 2026, Grammar and History of Français-Tirailleur, Brill

Title: Grammar and History of Français-Tirailleur
Subtitle: A French Military Pidgin from Africa
Series Title: Grammars and Sketches of the World’s Languages – Contact Languages
Publication Year: 2026

Publisher: De Gruyter Brill
https://www.degruyterbrill.com/?changeLang=en
Book URL: https://brill.com/display/title/69960

Author(s): Mikael Parkvall

Hardback ISBN: 978-90-04-69447-7
E-Book ISBN: 978-90-04-71374-1
DOI: 10.1163/9789004713741

Abstract:

Français-Tirailleur (FT) was a French-lexicon pidgin spoken in the French African army between 1860 and 1960, and by civilians in contact with it. Despite their importance, pidgins remain understudied, often dismissed as mere precursors to creoles. Yet FT, like other pidgins, was a rule-governed, functional language—streamlined for communication, stripped of unnecessary complexity, and optimised for ease of learning. Born in the crucible of colonial encounters, FT’s history reflects both unlikely solidarities and the harsh realities of war, exploitation, and racism. This study offers the most detailed account yet of FT’s structure, background, and enduring linguistic significance.

Readership: All interested in pidgin and creole languages, linguistic typology, African languages and linguistics.

Linguistic Field(s): Historical Linguistics
Language Documentation
Morphology
Syntax

Language Family(ies): African Pidgins and Creoles