Mauritian Creole
Mauritian Creole | |
---|---|
kreol morisien, morisien | |
Pronunciation | L2 speakers: 200,000 (2016) |
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Dialects |
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Latin | |
Official status | |
Official language in | Mauritius |
Regulated by | Akademi Kreol Morisien (Academy of the Mauritian Creole) |
Language codes | |
ISO 639-3 | mfe |
Glottolog | mori1278 |
Linguasphere | 51-AAC-cec
(to 51-AAC-cee) |
Mauritian Creole or Morisien (formerly spelled Morisyen; native name: kreol morisien [kʁeol moʁisjɛ̃, - moʁiʃɛ̃]) is a French-based creole language spoken in Mauritius. English words are included in the standardized version of the language. In addition, the slaves and indentured servants from cultures in Africa and Asia left a diverse legacy of language in the country. The words spoken by these groups are also incorporated into contemporary Morisien.
Mauritian Creole is the lingua franca of the Republic of Mauritius, which gained independence from the United Kingdom in 1968. Both English and French are used as alternatives to Mauritian Creole. English is spoken primarily for administration and educational purposes and French is used by the media and as a second language.
Mauritians tend to speak Mauritian Creole at home and French in the workplace. French and English are taught in schools. Though Mauritians are of numerous ethnic origins (including Indian, African, European, and Chinese) Mauritian Creole has gradually replaced the ancestral languages of most of the population to become the primary home language of the country. Today, around 1.3 million people speak the language.
Classification
Mauritian Creole is a
History
The Portuguese were the first Europeans to visit Mauritius, but they did not settle there. Only a small portion of Mauritian vocabulary derives from the Portuguese element in European maritime jargon (e.g., the Mediterranean Lingua Franca) or from enslaved Africans or Asians who came from areas in which Portuguese was used as a trade language (e.g., Angola and Mozambique). Similarly, the Dutch had a colony on Mauritius from 1638 to 1710, but ultimately evacuated to Réunion. A few runaway slaves remained, leaving no discernible impact on the Mauritian language.
The French ultimately claimed Mauritius and first settled it from 1715 to 1721, building a plantation economy based on slave labour. People from West and Southeast Africa Madagascar came to form 85% of the population by 1777, which led to linguistic fragmentation.[2] The size of the native French settler population on the island remained small and the enslaved population lacked formal education. The common language that developed was based on French, but a dialect that differed greatly from the language spoken by the slave owners. Mechanistically, this was similar to the process of creolization in other parts of the world. The pidgin language used for daily communication by people from varying linguistic backgrounds eventually became the native language of children born in these communities. Eventually, this evolved into a creole language, with the complexity and completeness required for young children to use it as their mother tongue. Historical documents from as early as 1773 note the "creole language" that the slaves spoke.
The British took over Mauritius during the Napoleonic era, but few native English speakers ever settled there. Mauritian Creole had already been firmly entrenched and continued to be the language used after British occupation began.
The abolition of slavery in the 1830s made many Africans leave the plantations. Indentured workers from India were brought to replace the freed slaves. The widely variable linguistic background of these immigrants mirrored that of the African slaves before them; therefore, no native language was dominant enough to become the basis for a shared language. Though Indians soon became the majority population on the island, their own linguistic fragmentation, as well as their alienation from the English- and French-speaking plantation owners, led them to take up Mauritian Creole as their lingua franca.
The native English and French population have long enjoyed greater social status, in addition to dominating government, business, education, and the media; however, Mauritian Creole's popularity in most informal domains has persisted, with around 85% of the population speaking this language.
Phonology
The phonology of Mauritian Creole is very similar to that of Standard French. However, French /ʃ/ and /ʒ/ have respectively depalatalised to /s/ and /z/ in Mauritian, and the front vowels /y/ and /ø/ have respectively been unrounded to /i/ and /e/.[3]
Orthography
The language has several published
The Mauritian government began supporting an orthographic reform in 2011, with a system that generally follows French but eliminates
Sample vocabulary
Numbers
Examples shown are in Mauritian Creole and French only.
Number | Mauritian Creole | French | Number | Mauritian Creole | French |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
0 | Zero | Zéro | 20 | Vin | Vingt |
1 | Enn | Un/Une | 21 | Vint-e-enn | Vingt et un |
2 | De | Deux | 22 | Vennde | Vingt-deux |
3 | Trwa | Trois | 23 | Venntrwa | Vingt-trois |
4 | Kat | Quatre | 24 | Vennkat | Vingt-quatre |
5 | Sink | Cinq | 25 | Vennsink | Vingt-cinq |
6 | Sis | Six | 26 | Vennsis | Vingt-six |
7 | Set | Sept | 27 | Vennset | Vingt-sept |
8 | Wit | Huit | 28 | Vintwit | Vingt-huit |
9 | Nef | Neuf | 29 | Vintnef | Vingt-neuf |
10 | Dis | Dix | 30 | Trant | Trente |
11 | Onz | Onze | 40 | Karant | Quarante |
12 | Douz | Douze | 50 | Sinkant | Cinquante |
13 | Trez | Treize | 60 | Swasant | Soixante |
14 | Katorz | Quatorze | 70 | Swasann-dis/Septant | Soixante-dix/Septante |
15 | Kinz | Quinze | 80 | Katrovin/Oktant | Quatre-vingts/Octante |
16 | Sez | Seize | 90 | Katrovin-dis/Nonant | Quatre-vingt-dix/Nonante |
17 | Diset | Dix-sept | 100 | San | Cent |
18 | Dizwit | Dix-huit | 1000 | Mil | Mille |
19 | Diznef | Dix-neuf | 1000000 | Enn milion | Un million |
Personal pronouns
Examples shown are in English, Mauritian Creole and French.
English | Mauritian Creole | French |
---|---|---|
I | Mo | Je |
Me | Mwa | Moi |
You (informal) | To (Twa) | Tu (Toi) |
You (formal) | Ou | Vous |
He/She/It | Li | Il/Elle ([1]) |
We | Nou | On/Nous |
You (plural) | Zot | Vous |
They (plural) | Bannla/Zot | Ils/Elles |
Them | Zot | Leur/Les |
His/Her/Their | So/So/Zot | Son/Sa/Leur |
Your (informal) | To (Twa) | Ton (Tien) |
Your (formal) | Ou (Ou) | Votre (Vôtre) |
Our | Nou (Nou) | Notre (Nôtre) |
Directions
English | Mauritian Creole | French |
---|---|---|
In front (of) | Devan, Drwat | Devant |
Before | Avan | Avant |
Behind | Deryer | Derrière |
Over there | Laba | Là-bas |
Right | Drwat | Droite |
Left | Gos | Gauche |
(To the) right | Adrwat | À droite |
(To the) left | Agos | À gauche |
Above | Lao | Sur (là-haut) |
Below | Anba | Sous (en-bas) |
Next to | Akote | À côté |
Outside | Deor | Dehors |
Inside | Andan | Dedans |
Tamil loanwords
Creole | Tamil | Meaning |
---|---|---|
Kali | கள்ளி kaḷḷi | Cactus |
Notchi | நொச்சி Nocci | Vitex |
Mourkou | முறுக்கு Muṟukku | A type of snack |
Vetiver | வெட்டிவேர் Veṭṭivēr | Chrysopogon zizanioides |
At | அட்டா Aṭṭā | Name of a fruit |
Pipangay | பீர்க்கங்காய் Pīrkkaṅkāy | Luffa |
Mouroum | முருங்கை Muruṅkai | Moringa |
Patol | புடோல் Puṭōl | Trichosanthes cucumerina |
Avrayka | அவரைக்காய் Avaraikkāy | Lablab purpureus |
Kotaranga | கொத்தவரங்காய் Kottavaraṅkāy | Guar |
Kotomili | கொத்தமல்லி Kottamalli | Coriander |
Kari-poule | கருவேப்பிலை Karuvēppilai | Murraya koenigii |
Betel | வெற்றிலை Veṟṟilai | Betel |
Pak | பாக்கு Pākku | Areca nut |
Poutou | புட்டு Puṭṭu | a rice dish called puṭṭu |
Ounde | உருண்டை Urundai | A sphere-shaped confection |
Ayo! | ஐயோ Ayyo! | Alas! (exclamation) |
Kaandi | கரண்டி Karandi | A kind of spoon or ladle |
Mang | மாம்பழம் Maam Palam | Mango |
Lexicon
Most words come from French but are not always used in the same way. For example, the French article le, la, les is often fused with the noun in Mauritian: French rat is Mauritian lera and French temps is Mauritian letan. The same is true for some
Other words come from either
There are also several
Words of East African origin include Mauritian makutu from
matako (buttock).Recent loanwords tend to come from English, such as map instead of plan or carte in French (plan or kart in Mauritian Creole). English words used in Mauritian Creole retain their English spelling but should normally be written with inverted commas.
Only two common Mauritian Creole words derive from Chinese: min (from
Grammar
In Mauritian, there is only one form for each plural pronoun and the third-person singular pronoun, regardless of case or gender; li can thus be translated as "he, she, it, him, his, her, hers" depending on the context.
For example, li finn gagn ("he/she/it had") can also be shortened to linn gagn and pronounced as one word. The Réunion version is li té fine gagne for past, li té i gagne for past progressive, and li sava gagne for present progressive or
Sample
Here is the Lord's Prayer in Mauritian Creole, French and English:
Mauritian Creole | Gallicized orthography | French | English |
---|---|---|---|
Nou Papa ki dan lesiel Fer rekonet ki to nom sain, |
Nous Papa qui dans le-ciel, Faire reconnaitte que to nom saint, |
Notre Père, qui es aux cieux, Que ton Nom soit sanctifié, |
Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. |
See also
References
- ^ Mauritian Creole at Ethnologue (19th ed., 2016)
- ^ Auguste Toussaint, Histoire de l'île Maurice, Paris: Presses universitaires de France, 1971.
- ^ Baker, Philip (1972). Kreol. A description of Mauritian creole. Hurst.
- ^ "2E ÉDITION DU DIKSIONER KREOL: La langue kreol, premier instrument qui nous rassemble comme Mauriciens". Le Mauricien (in French). 14 September 2011. Retrieved 2023-03-12.
- ^ Corne (1970, 1988), Carpooran (2007), Wittmann (1972); on the subject of the characteristic article incorporation, the agglutination to the noun of an erstwhile article (in French), see Standquist (2005), Wittmann & Fournier (1981).
Bibliography
- Adone, Dany. The Acquisition of Mauritian creole. Amsterdam; Philadelphia: J. Benjamins, 1984.
- Anonymous. Diksyoner Kreol-Angle / Prototype Mauritian creole-English Dictionary. Port Louis: L.P.T., 1985.
- Baker, Philip and Chris Corne, Isle de France Creole: Affinities and Origins. Ann Arbor: Karoma, 1982.
- Baker, Philip and Vinesh Y. Hookoomsing. Morisyen-English-français : diksyoner kreol morisyen (Dictionary of Mauritian creole). Paris : Harmattan, 1987.
- Carpooran, Arnaud. Diksioner morisien [version prototip/let A–E]. Quatre Bornes, Ile Maurice : Editions Bartholdi, 2005.
- Carpooran, Arnaud. Le Créole Mauricien de poche. Chennevières-sur-Marne : Assimil, 2007. ISBN 978-2-7005-0309-8.
- Carpooran, Arnaud. Diksioner morisien[version integral/1e edision]. Sainte Croix, Ile Maurice : Koleksion Text Kreol, 2009, 1017pp.
- Carpooran, Arnaud. Diksioner morisien. [version integral/2em edision]. Vacoas, Ile Maurice : Edition Le Printempss, 2011, 1200pp.
- Chaudenson, Robert. Les créoles francais. Évreux: F. Nathan, 1979.
- Chaudenson, Robert. Creolization of language and culture; translated and revised by Salikoko S. Mufwene, with Sheri Pargman, Sabrina Billings, and Michelle AuCoin. London ; New York : Routledge, 2001. [2]
- Choy, Paul. Korek – A Beginners Guide To Mauritian Creole (Grand Baie, Mauritius: Pachworks 4th ed., 2014)
- Corne, Chris. Essai de grammaire du créole mauricien, Auckland : Linguistic Society of New Zealand, 1970.
- Corne, Chris. A contrastive analysis of Reunion and Isle de France Creole French: two typologically diverse languages. In: Isle de France Creole: affinities and origins, Philip Baker & Chris Corne, 8–129. Ann Arbor: Karoma, 1982. [3]
- Corne, Chris. "Mauritian creole Reflexives", Journal of Pidgin and Creole Languages, Volume 3, Number 1, 1988, pp. 69–94, 1988.
- Corne, Chris. From French to Creole, Battlebridge Publications (Westminster Creolistics), 1999.
- Frew, Mark. Mauritian creole in seven easy lessons. 2nd ed. Port Louis, Republic of Mauritius : Ledikasyon pu Travayer, 2003.
- Holm, John. Pidgins and Creoles, Volume II: Reference Survey. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1989.
- Lee, Jacques K. Mauritius : its Creole language : the ultimate Creole phrase book : English-Creole dictionary. London: Nautilus Pub. Co., 1999.
- Strandquist, Rachel Eva. Article Incorporation in Mauritian creole. M.A. thesis, University of Victoria, 2005. hdl:1828/820
- Wittmann, Henri. Les parlers créoles des Mascareignes: une orientation. Trois-Rivières: Travaux linguistiques de l'Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières 1, 1972. [4]
- Wittmann, Henri. « Lexical diffusion and the glottogenetics of creole French. » CreoList debate, parts I–VI, appendixes 1–9. The Linguist List, Eastern Michigan University & Wayne State University. 2001. [5]
- Wittmann, Henri & Robert Fournier. "L'agglutination nominale en français colonial." Revue québécoise de linguistique théorique et appliquée 2:2.185–209, 1981. [6]
- Wittmann, Henri & Robert Fournier. "Interprétation diachronique de la morphologie verbale du créole réunionnais". Revue québécoise de linguistique théorique et appliquée 6:2.137–50, 1987; in response to the hypothesis put forward by Corne (1982) in Baker and Corne (1982). [7]