The official language of Mauritius is English.[1][2] However, the majority language and lingua franca of the country is the French based Mauritian Creole. French is also a common language in education and the dominant language of media.[3] According to the OIF, 72.7% of the Mauritians were French speakers in 2005.[4]
Being both an English-speaking and French-speaking nation, Mauritius is a member of both the Commonwealth of Nations and the Francophonie.
Mauritian Créole, which is spoken by 90 percent of the population, is considered to be the native language of the country and is used most often in informal settings.[5] It was developed in the 18th century by slaves who used a pidgin language to communicate with each other as well as with their French masters, who did not understand the various African languages. The pidgin evolved with later generations to become a casual language.[6] Mauritian Creole is a French-based creole due to its close ties with French pronunciation and vocabulary.[7]
Mauritian Creole is similar in pronunciation to French, but with a few marked differences - Creole does not contain the post-alveolar fricatives and front rounded vowels that French does
It is only in the Parliament that the official language is English but any member of the National Assembly can still address the chair in French.[8][9] However, English is generally accepted as the official language of Mauritius and as the language of government administration and the court business. The lingua franca is Creole.[3]
In Mauritius, people switch languages according to the situation.[5] Creole and Bhojpuri are the main languages used at home, both French and Creole are used in a business context and English is used most in schools and governments.[5] French and English, which have long enjoyed greater social status, are favored in educational and professional settings.[5] Also, most newspapers and media communications are in French.[6] American and other English-language movies and TV programmes shown in Mauritius are conventionally dubbed into French. When Franco-Mauritians engage in conversations with Creole speakers, French is more commonly employed than Creole.
Other languages spoken in Mauritius include Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Marathi, Urdu, Hakka (a Chinese dialect), Mandarin, Gujarati, and Bhojpuri, which is an amalgamation of several Indian dialects spoken by the early Indian settlers.[3] Most Mauritians are at least bilingual, if not trilingual.[3][6][10][11] The earliest builders brought by the French were the Tamils of Indian origin, who were employed to build Port Louis, the capital. Subsequently, around hundred years later, laborers from other parts of British India were brought by the British. Arabic is taught in Mosques around Mauritius.
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