Word
creole
Phoneticscre·ole
US/ˈkɹioʊɫ/
UK/kɹɪˈəʊl/
Definition
n. a stable language that develops when two or more different languages mix together over time. It starts as a simple way for people to communicate and becomes a full language that children learn as their first tongue.
n. a stable natural language developed from the mixing of parent languages; distinguished from a pidgin by being the first language of a speech community. Often used in sociolinguistics to describe hybrid varieties in post-colonial contexts.
Examples
“Haitian Creole is one of the official languages of Haiti.”
“Linguists study how a pidgin evolves into a creole when it becomes the primary language of a new generation.”
“The unique syntax of the local creole reflects a complex history of maritime trade and forced migration, blending European vocabulary with West African grammatical structures.”
Examples
simple
“Haitian Creole is one of the official languages of Haiti.”
contextual
“Linguists study how a pidgin evolves into a creole when it becomes the primary language of a new generation.”
complex
“The unique syntax of the local creole reflects a complex history of maritime trade and forced migration, blending European vocabulary with West African grammatical structures.”
Usage
Countable when referring to a specific language variety; uncountable when referring to the general linguistic phenomenon.
Pitfall
The people speak a pidgin as their native language.
The people speak a creole as their native language.
A pidgin is a simplified contact language with no native speakers; once it is learned as a first language by children, it is termed a creole.
Real-World Examples
“Some nationalist Dominican groups feel that requiring students to study Haitian Creole is one step closer to an unwanted “unification ” of the island that they believe has been planned since this occupation.” “Leah Chase: In the 1960s, Chase turned her in-laws’ restaurant, Dooky Chase’s in New Orleans’ Tremé district, into a temple of Creole cuisine.” Etymology
Variously from French créole, from its source, Spanish criollo, and from its source, Portuguese crioulo, itself probably a diminutive of cria (“person raised in one’s house, servant”), from criar (“to rear, to bring up”), from Latin creō (“I create, make, produce”). Doublet of Criollo, Crioulo, and Krio.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Domains
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/creole