creole

Everyday

1. A language that grew from a mix of two or more languages and became the first language of a group of people, such as Haitian Creole or Jamaican Patois. tree →
2. A person of mixed European and African or local descent in the Caribbean or Louisiana. tree →
3. Creole cooking: spicy food from Louisiana in the USA, with rice, peppers and seafood. tree →

In the lessons

In language lessons creoles show how new languages are born when people speaking different languages live together, often after slavery and colonies. They are full, real languages with their own grammar, not «broken» English or French. Phrases: «Haitian Creole», «Creole food», «a French-based creole».

Examples

• Haitian Creole is spoken by millions of people. tree →
• A creole is a real language with its own rules. tree →
• Jamaican Patois is an English-based creole. tree →
• We ate Creole jambalaya in New Orleans. tree →
• Many creoles grew up in the Caribbean. tree →
• Tok Pisin, a creole, is spoken in Papua New Guinea. tree →

Note

Usually capital C for names (Haitian Creole). Myth: creoles are not «bad» versions of other languages. Different from a pidgin, which is a simple trade language nobody speaks as a first language.