Striking grammatical similarities among the Atlantic Creoles, particularly those shared by English (such as Jamaican), French (e.g. Haitian) and Iberian Creoles (e.g. Papiamentu) have spawned diverse theories about their origin and development. This book concentrates on two of the most controversial questions relating to diffusion which these theories have raised: do these Creoles derive from a Pidgin which originated in West Africa? and was there once a Portuguese Creole spoken in Brazil which subsequently spread to Surinam and elsewhere? As well as articles from leading authorities in this field, this book also includes the transcript of a lively debate on these matters which took place in London in 1997.