Fabiola S. Henri

I am a theoretically-informed creolist primarily focusing on the structure and complexity of morphology in creole languages from the perspective of recent implicational models, incorporating insights both from information-theoretic views on ‘morphological information’ and from modern conceptions of discriminative learning. My research lies at the epicenter of an ongoing reconceptualization of the field of linguistics, addressing its objects of inquiry, its research methodologies, and its principles of theory construction.

With the goal of broadening and deepening the kinds of pertinent evidence observable in creoles, my research employs experimental, statistical and computational methods in identifying hitherto undetected regularities and appeals to multifaceted patterns of explanation for grammatical structures and their development. I view the emergence of creole morphology as proceeding from a complex interplay between sociohistorical context, natural language change, type and frequency of imput, substratic influence, unguided second language acquisition, among other factors.

My main interests lie within French-based creoles, and more specifically Mauritian, my native language. My research provide an empirical and explanatory take on morphological change in French-based creoles, with a view on morphological complexity which starkly contrasts with Exceptionalist theories of creolization