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| Saint Lucian Creole | |
|---|---|
| kwéyòl, patwa | |
| Native to | Saint Lucia |
Native speakers | 700,000 (2016)[1] |
| |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | Either:acf – Saint Lucian Creole Frenchscf – San Miguel Creole French |
| Glottolog | sain1246 |
| ELP | San Miguel Creole French |
| Linguasphere | 51-AAC-ccg |
Saint Lucian Creole (Kwéyòl [kwejɔl]) is a French-based creole language that is widely spoken in Saint Lucia.[2][3] It is the vernacular language of the country and is spoken alongside the official language of English.
Kwéyòl is a variety of Antillean Creole, and like other varieties spoken in the Caribbean, it combines the syntax of African language origins and a Latin-based vocabulary as shared by the French. Like its similar Dominican counterpart, some words are derived from the English, French and African languages. There has also been a recorded syntactical influence of the Carib language.[4]
It remains in widespread use in Saint Lucia across the island. Though it is not an official language, the government and media houses present information in Kwéyòl alongside English.
- ^ Saint Lucian Creole French at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022)
San Miguel Creole French at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022)
- ^ Ethnologue code for Saint Lucian Creole French (spoken in Dominica and Saint Lucia) with the ISO 639-3 code: acf. However, it notes that their rate of comprehension is 90%, which would qualify them as dialects of a single language.
- ^ "Acf | ISO 639-3".
- ^ Mitchell, Edward S. (2010). St. Lucian Kwéyòl on Saint Croix: A Study of Language Choice and Attitudes. Cambridge Scholars Publishing. p. 22. ISBN 978-1-4438-2147-6.
