Cultural identity and the structure of a mixed language: The case of Barranquenho

Abstract

The origins of Barranquenho, a contact variety of Portuguese spoken by the roughly 2000 inhabitants of Barrancos, Portugal go back at least 150 years and probably more. In this paper, we give a brief sociohistorical overview of the Barrancos area, address how Barranquenho emerged, and discuss some of its distinctive features. We also offer a proposal regarding what the nature of Barranquenho may have to offer to the mixed language debate.