Syntactic similarities of creoles

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The grammars of creole languages often, though not universally, share a number of structural features, despite the fact that a number of these creole languages do not share a superstrate language, substrate languages, or contact.

[edit] Structural similarities in syntax of creoles

Note these features are common in creoles, but do not necessarily apply to a given creole language in particular.

Movement rules: Subject Verb Object word order, with similar mechanisms for using word order to apply focus to one of these constituents.
Articles: definite article applied to specific and identified noun phrase, indefinite article applied to specific and newly-asserted noun phrase, and zero for nonspecific noun phrase.
TMA (Tense-Modality-Aspect) verb systems.
distinction of realized and unrealized complements
relativization and subject-copying
negation
existential and possessive
copula
adjectives as verbs
questions
question words
passive equivalents

[edit] TMA verb system

The verb conjugation is typically close to an ideal Tense-Modality-Aspect pattern. In this system, the absence or presence of auxiliary verbs indicate tense (concurrent or anterior), modality (realis or irrealis) and aspect (punctual or progressive), and when present these auxiliaries occur in that order, and typically are based on similar meaning words in the pidgin or superstrate language. Thus anterior tense may be marked by words such as bin in English creoles (from been), or té in French creoles (from été), a future or subjunctive tense may be marked by go (from English go) or al (from French aller), and a non-punctual (non-stative) aspect by a word such as stei (from English stay).

**Comparison of Creole Grammar**
Verb Form	Nonstative			Stative
	Hawaiian Creole	Haitian Creole	Sranan	Hawaiian Creole	Haitian Creole	Sranan
Base Form (he walked; he loves)	he walk	Li Maché	a waka	he love	li rêmê	a lobi
Anterior (He had walked; he loved)	he bin walk	li té maché	a ben waka	he bin love	li té rêmê	a ben lobi
Irreal (He will/would walk;he will/would love)	he go walk	l'av(a) maché	a sa waka	he go love	l'av(a) rêmê	a sa lobi
Nonpunctual (he is/was walking)	he stay walk	l’ap maché	a e waka
Anterior + Irreal (he would have walked/loved)	he bin go walk	li t'av(a) maché	a ben sa waka	he bin go love	li t'av(a) rêmê	a ben sa lobi
Anterior+Nonpunctual (he was/had been walking)	he bin stay walk	li t’ap maché	a ben e waka
Irreal + Nonpunctual (he will/would be walking)	he go stay walk	l’av ap maché	a sa e waka
Anterior + Irreal + Nonpunctual (he would have been walking)	he bin go stay walk	li t’av ap maché	a ben sa e waka

The above table demonstrates syntactic similarities of creole languages. Stative verbs are those that cannot form the nonpunctual aspect. According to Bickerton, all observed creole languages strictly follow a structure that has the anterior particle precede the irreal particle, and the irreal particle precede the nonpunctual particle, although in certain languages some compounded forms may be replaced by other constructions.