What the ELLE is going on? Pronoun borrowing in Norman and Louisiana Creole

Abstract

This study investigates the influence of lexical and structural similarity on ‘hard to borrow’ features. It examines the use of the French 3SG feminine pronoun ELLE in Norman and in Louisiana Creole using the framework of MAT- and PAT-borrowing (Matras and Sakel, 2007). As Norman and Louisiana Creole are in contact with different superstrates, the study suggests that lexical relatedness may be the primary driver of MAT-borrowing in these contexts, while structural divergence tends to prompt PAT-borrowing. The findings also contribute to the understanding of the dynamics of language contact across diverse contexts, including dialect contact and creole-lexifier contact.