| Mauritian Creole | |
|---|---|
| kreol morisien, morisien | |
| Pronunciation | [kʁeol moʁisjɛ̃, - moʁiʃɛ̃] |
| Native to | Mauritius |
| Ethnicity | Traditionally Mauritian Creoles |
Native speakers | 1,090,000 (2012 UNSD)[1] 1,335,000 total speakers L2 speakers: 200,000 (2016) |
French Creole
| |
| Dialects | |
| 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.
- ^ Mauritian Creole at Ethnologue (19th ed., 2016)
