ÿþ<html lang="en,fr,cpf"> <head> <title>History of Mauritian Creole</title> <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1"> <meta http-equiv="Content-Language" content="en,fr,cpf"> <meta name="Description" content="There are three different orthographies for Mauritian Creole which are distinguished in terms of if and how nasalisation is marked"> <meta name="KeyWords" content="history, origin, language,langue,Creole, créole, Kreol, kréol, mauricien, Mauritius, Mauritian, Moricyen, mauritian creole, créole mauricien, français,french,english,anglais"> <meta name="Resource-type" content="Document"> <meta name="Distribution" content="Global"> <meta name="Copyright" content="kreol.mu"> <link rel="stylesheet" href="/en.css"> <script language=javascript src="/en.js"></script> </head> <body bgcolor="FFFFF0"> <center> <a name="Top"></a> <table> <tr> <td colspan="2" height="94"> <table border="1" width="790" bgcolor="#336699" height="88"> <tr> <td width="261"> <table 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<tr bgcolor="F3F3F3" > <td width="10" height="21"><img src="/Images/RightGreyOn_F3F3F3.gif" width="8" height="9" align="baseline"></td> <td colspan="2"><a href="/Nature/Geography/index.html">Geography</a></td> </tr> <tr bgcolor="F3F3F3"> <td width="10" height="21"><img src="/Images/RightGreyOn_F3F3F3.gif" width="8" height="9" align="baseline"></td> <td colspan="2"><a href="/Nature/Fauna/index.html">Fauna</a></td> </tr> <tr bgcolor="F3F3F3"> <td width="10" height="21"><img src="/Images/RightGreyOn_F3F3F3.gif" width="8" height="9" align="baseline"></td> <td colspan="2"><a href="/History/index.html">History</a></td> </tr> <tr bgcolor="F3F3F3"> <td width="10" height="21"><img src="/Images/RightGreyOn_F3F3F3.gif" width="8" height="9" align="baseline"></td> <td colspan="2"><a href="/Society/Language/index.html">Language</a></td> </tr> <tr bgcolor="F3F3F3"> <td width="10" height="21"><img src="/Images/RightGreyOn_F3F3F3.gif" width="8" height="9" align="baseline"></td> <td colspan="2"><a href="/Society/Music/index.html">Music</a></td> </tr> <tr bgcolor="F3F3F3"> <td width="10" height="21"><img src="/Images/RightGreyOn_F3F3F3.gif" width="8" height="9" align="baseline"></td> <td colspan="2"><a href="/Society/Communication/Stamps/index.html">Stamps</a></td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <p>&nbsp;</p> <table cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 width=122 border=0> <tbody class="ArialBlack"> <tr> <td bgcolor=#336699 width=5 height="2"><img height=1 alt=. src="/Images/pixel.gif" width=5 border=0></td> <td bgcolor=#336699 width=116 height="2"><img height=1 alt=. src="/Images/pixel.gif" width=116 border=0></td> <td bgcolor=#336699 width=1 height="2"><img height=1 alt=. src="/Images/pixel.gif" width=1 border=0></td> </tr> <tr> <td bgcolor=#336699 width="5" ><img height=20 src="/Images/pixel.gif" width=5 border=0></td> <td colspan="2" bgcolor=#336699 valign="middle" align="left" class="Trafiletto" height="20">Sites</td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan=3 height=5></td> </tr> <tr valign="top" bgcolor="F3F3F3"> <td colspan=3 class="ArialBlack"> <a href="http://www.kreol.mu" target="_blank">Creole</a><br> <a href="http://www.sega.mu" target="_blank">Sega</a><br> <a href="http://www.stampsmauritius.com" target="_blank">Stamps</a><br> <a href="http://www.birds.mu" target="_blank">Birds</a><br> <a href="http://www.alpareflex.com" target="_blank">Alpa</a><br> <a href="http://www.orchids.mu" target="_blank">Orchids</a> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <p>&nbsp;</p> </td> <td valign=top width=1 bgcolor=#cccccc height="602"> <table cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 width=1 border=0> <tbody> <tr> <td width=1 bgcolor=#ffffff height=1><img height=1 alt=. src="/Images/pixel.gif" width=1 border=0></td> </tr> </tbody> </table> </td> <td valign=top width=350 height="602"> <table cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 width=350 border=0 id_xopus="2002/05/18/wi/article8624H" xml_xopus="2002/05/18/wi/article8624H.nzzoml" xsl_xopus="htmlArtikelZweiteSpalte_XOPUS.xsl" xsd_xopus="bericht.xsd" xmlns:xalan="http://xml.apache.org/xalan"> <tbody> <tr> <td width=7><img height=1 alt=/Images/pixel.gif" width=7 border=0></td> <td width=3><img height=1 alt=. src="/Images/pixel.gif" width=3 border=0></td> <td width=330><img height=1 alt=. src="/Images/pixel.gif" width=330 border=0></td> <td width=3><img height=1 alt=. src="/Images/pixel.gif" width=3 border=0></td> <td width=7><img height=1 alt=. src="/Images/pixel.gif" width=7 border=0></td> </tr> <tr > <td colspan=5 height=5 bgcolor="#336699"></td> </tr> <tr valign="middle" align="left"> <td bgcolor="#336699"></td> <td colspan=4 height=25 bgcolor="#336699" valign="middle"><font color="white" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="4"><b>CREOLE LANGUAGE</b></font></td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan=5></td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan=5>&nbsp;</td> </tr> <tr> <td valign=top colspan=2 height="30"></td> <td valign=top height="30"> <h1>History of Mauritian Creole</h1> </td> <td valign=top colspan=2 height="30"></td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan=5 height=12></td> </tr> <tr> <td valign=top colspan=2></td> <td valign=top><font face="Geneva, Arial" size=-1> </font> <p>Apart from place names such as Flaq, Plaines Wilhelm and Flic en Flac, there are no Dutch works in Kreol. The tiny island of Mauritius has been called a "melting pot" and its linguistic situation is very complex. </p> <p>While English is the official language of parliament, traffic regulations, and school administration, it is spoken by only 3% of the population. French is the native language of Franco-mauritians and is used by the mass media. Eighty percent of the newspapers are written in French, which also dominates the advertising field. Mauritian Creole, or MC, is the national language and is spoken by the majority of Mauritians. </p> <p align="left">Nearly the entire population knows and uses MC for communication. The majority of MC words are of French origin, although more than 150 are derived from English, more than 50 from Indian languages, and several from Malagasy and Chinese. Like many French-lexicon creoles, MC words often incorporate the article as part of the form of the word. For example: "liver" (winter), derives from the French "l'hiver", and "dilo" (water) from "de l'eau".</p> <p align="right"><a href="#Top"><img src="/Images/red-arrowrup.gif" width="6" height="6" border="0">&nbsp;Top</a></p> </td> <td valign=top colspan=2></td> </tr> <tr> <td valign=top colspan=2></td> <td valign=top align="center"><a href="#" onClick="history.go(-1)"><img src="/Images/red-arrowleft.gif" width="6" height="6" border="0">&nbsp;Back</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="/Society/Language/SpeakingSlavery.htm">Next Page&nbsp;&nbsp;<img src="/Images/red-arrowright.gif" width="8" height="8" border="0"></a> </td> <td valign=top colspan=2></td> </tr> <tr> <tr valign="bottom" align="center"> <td colspan=5 height="27" class="LinkGrey"> <font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="1">Copyright ©2002-2005 Encyclopaedia Mauritiana</font> <br> <div class="LinkGrey"> <a href="http://www.mauritiusencyclopedia.com" target="_blank">Encyclopedia</a> <a href="http://www.kreol.mu" 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<!--Language articles--> <tbody class="ArialBlack"> <tr bgcolor="#336699" height="1"> <td width="10" ><img width=10 height=1 alt=. src="/Images/pixel.gif"border=0></td> <td width="140"><img width=140 height=1 alt=. src="/Images/pixel.gif" border=0></td> <td width="1"><img width=1 height=1 alt=. src="/Images/pixel.gif"border=0></td> </tr> <tr bgcolor="#336699" height="26"> <td width="10" ><img width=10 height=26 alt=. src="/Images/pixel.gif" border=0></td> <td colspan="2"valign="middle" align="left" class="Trafiletto">Language</td> </tr> <tr bgcolor="F3F3F3" height="22" > <td height="22" valign="baseline"><img src="/Images/RightGreyOn_F3F3F3.gif" width="8" height="9" align="baseline"></td> <td colspan=2 valign="baseline" "height="22" bgcolor="F3F3F3"><a href="/Society/Language/index.html">Table of Content</a> </td> </tr> <tr bgcolor="6085CD" height="22"> <td valign="baseline">&nbsp;</td> <td valign="baseline" colspan="2" class="ArialWhite"> <p>Travellers' Creole</p> </td> </tr> <tr bgcolor="F3F3F3" height="2"> <td width="10" ><img width=10 height=2 alt=. src="/Images/pixel.gif"border=0></td> <td width="140"><img width=140 height=2 alt=. src="/Images/pixel.gif" border=0></td> <td width="1"><img width=1 height=2 alt=. src="/Images/pixel.gif"border=0></td> </tr> <tr bgcolor="F3F3F3" valign="baseline"> <td ><img src="/Images/RightGreyOn_F3F3F3.gif" width="8" height="9" align="baseline"></td> <td colspan="2" bgcolor="F3F3F3"><a href="/Society/Language/PhraseGreeting.htm">Greeting Phrases</a></td> </tr> <tr bgcolor="F3F3F3" valign="baseline"> <td ><img src="/Images/RightGreyOn_F3F3F3.gif" width="8" height="9" align="baseline"></td> <td colspan="2" bgcolor="F3F3F3"> <a href="/Society/Language/PhraseChemin.htm">Ask your way in Creole</a> </td> </tr> <tr bgcolor="F3F3F3" valign="baseline"> <td ><img src="/Images/RightGreyOn_F3F3F3.gif" width="8" height="9" align="baseline"></td> <td colspan="2"> <a href="/Society/Language/PhraseSayings1.htm">Idiomatic Phrases</a> </td> </tr> <tr bgcolor="F3F3F3" valign="baseline"> <td ><img src="/Images/RightGreyOn_F3F3F3.gif" width="8" height="9" align="baseline"></td> <td colspan="2" ><a href="/Society/Language/Sirandanes_1.htm">Sirandanes</a> </td> </tr> <tr bgcolor="F3F3F3" valign="baseline"> <td ><img src="/Images/RightGreyOn_F3F3F3.gif" width="8" height="9" align="baseline"></td> <td colspan="2" > <a href="/Society/Language/Dictionary.htm">Dictionary</a> </td> </tr> <tr height="22"> <td valign="baseline" bgcolor="6085CD">&nbsp;</td> <td valign="baseline" colspan="2" class="ArialWhite" bgcolor="6085CD"> <p>Languages of Mauritius</p> </td> </tr> <tr bgcolor="F3F3F3" valign="baseline"> <td ><img src="/Images/RightGreyOn_F3F3F3.gif" width="8" height="9" align="baseline">.</td> <td colspan=2 class="ArialBlack"> <a href="/Society/Language/Languages.htm">Languages spoken in Mauritius</a></td> </tr> <tr bgcolor="F3F3F3" valign="baseline"> <td><img src="/Images/RightGreyOn_F3F3F3.gif" width="8" height="9" align="baseline"></td> <td colspan="2"> <a href="/Society/Language/French.htm">Mauritian French - Le Fran&ccedil;ais de l'Ile&nbsp;Maurice</a> </td> </tr> <tr bgcolor="F3F3F3" valign="baseline"> <td><img src="/Images/RightGreyOn_F3F3F3.gif" width="8" height="9" align="baseline"></td> <td colspan="2"> <a href="/Society/Language/Bhojpuri.htm">Bhojpuri: A Language of India</a> </td> </tr> <tr bgcolor="F3F3F3" valign="baseline"> <td><img src="/Images/RightGreyOn_F3F3F3.gif" width="8" height="9" align="baseline"></td> <td colspan="2"> <a href="/Society/Language/Tamil.htm">Tamil - A Language of India</a> </td> </tr> <tr bgcolor="F3F3F3" valign="baseline"> <td width="8"><img src="/Images/RightGreyOn_F3F3F3.gif" width="8" height="9" align="baseline"></td> <td colspan="2"> <a href="/Society/Language/Urdu.htm">Urdu, a Language of Pakistan</a> </td> </tr> <tr height="22"> <td valign="baseline" bgcolor="6085CD">&nbsp;</td> <td valign="baseline" colspan="2" class="ArialWhite" bgcolor="6085CD"> <p>Kreol Morisyen</p> </td> </tr> <tr bgcolor="F3F3F3" valign="baseline"> <td><img src="/Images/RightGreyOn_F3F3F3.gif" width="8" height="9" align="baseline"></td> <td colspan="2"><a href="/Society/Language/CreoleLanguages.htm">Pidgins and Creoles</a></td> </tr> <tr bgcolor="F3F3F3" valign="baseline"> <td><img src="/Images/RightGreyOn_F3F3F3.gif" width="8" height="9" align="baseline"></td> <td colspan="2"><a href="/Society/Language/Morisyen.htm">Mauritian Creole</a></td> </tr> <tr bgcolor="F3F3F3" valign="baseline"> <td><img src="/Images/RightGreyOn_F3F3F3.gif" width="8" height="9" align="baseline"></td> <td colspan="2" bgcolor="F3F3F3"> <a href="/Society/Language/History.htm"> History</a></td> </tr> <tr bgcolor="F3F3F3" valign="baseline"> <td><img src="/Images/RightGreyOn_F3F3F3.gif" width="8" height="9" align="baseline"></td> <td colspan="2"> <a href="/Society/Language/SpeakingSlavery.htm">Speaking Slavery Language in Eighteenth Century Mauritius</a> </td> </tr> <tr bgcolor="F3F3F3" valign="baseline"> <td><img src="/Images/RightGreyOn_F3F3F3.gif" width="8" height="9" align="baseline"></td> <td colspan="2"> <a href="/Society/Language/Creolization.htm">Tu dimunn pu vini kreol - The Mauritian Creole and the concept of creolization</a> </td> </tr> <tr bgcolor="F3F3F3" valign="baseline"> <td><img src="/Images/RightGreyOn_F3F3F3.gif" width="8" height="9" align="baseline"></td> <td colspan="2"> <a href="/Society/Language/Grammar.htm">Diglossia in Mauritian Creole</a> </td> </tr> <tr bgcolor="F3F3F3" valign="baseline"> <td><img src="/Images/RightGreyOn_F3F3F3.gif" width="8" height="9" align="baseline"></td> <td colspan="2" bgcolor="F3F3F3"> <a href="/Society/Language/Bibliography.htm">Bibliography</a> </td> </tr> <tr bgcolor="F3F3F3" valign="baseline"> <td><img src="/Images/RightGreyOn_F3F3F3.gif" width="8" height="9" align="baseline"></td> <td colspan="2"> <a href="/Society/Language/CreolistArchives.htm">Creolist Archives</a> </td> </tr> <tr bgcolor="F3F3F3" valign="baseline"> <td><img src="/Images/RightGreyOn_F3F3F3.gif" width="8" height="9" align="baseline"></td> <td colspan="2"> <a href="/Society/Language/Links.htm">Language Links</a> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> </td> </tr> <tr> <td width="130"></td> <td bgcolor=#cccccc width="1"><img height=1 alt=. src="/Images/pixel.gif" width=1 border=0></td> <td height=3 width="350"></td> <td bgcolor=#cccccc width="1"><img height=1 alt=. src="/Images/pixel.gif" width=1 border=0></td> <td width="152"></td> </tr> </tbody> </table> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> </center> </body> </html>