Creole complexity in sociolinguistic perspective

In this paper I argue that Creoles are sociolinguistically some of the most complex language ecologies. Based on an analysis of sociolinguistic profiles as given in APiCs I illustrate the complex multilingual competencies typical of Creole speakers. As this thesis casts doubt on the assumed correlation between Creole grammars and simplicity, I revisit the notion of simplification in Creole genesis and offer a different perspective in which sociolinguistic complexity correlates with a grammatically complex ecology.