MAURITIUS
Language
Language
Popular destinations MAURITIUS
| Rodrigues |
Language
The official languages on Mauritius are English and French. However, the main language is Creole, which everyone speaks and understands. There are only about 3000 people who speak English at home. French is spoken by an elite group and only at formal meetings. French is predominantly used in education. The newspapers are also largely written in French.
Although Creole is the mother tongue of approximately 52% of the population, it is not an official language, is not taught in schools, has no grammar and no spelling rules.
The fact that the origins of Creole lie mainly in French is demonstrated by the following expressions:
How much does it cost? - Kumien sa?
Take me to the hotel - Amen mwa lotel
I don't understand - Mwa pa kompran
I want to stay here - Mwa pay restay
What is this? - Ki etay sa?
By the way, the Creole of Mauritius is not comparable to the Creole of the Caribbean.
Another language that is widely spoken is not so much Hindi, but its "Creole" exponent Bhojpuri, which is spoken by about 200,000 people. Other Indian languages spoken include Urdu and Gujarathi.
There are 22 languages spoken in Mauritius, including Chinese and Arabic in addition to those already mentioned.
Sources
Ellis, R. / Mauritius, Rodrigues & Réunion
Bradt
Pahlen, C. von der / Mauritius
Deltas
Singh, S. / Mauritius, Réunion & Seychelles
Lonely Planet
Te gast in Mauritius
Informatie Verre reizen
CIA - World Factbook
BBC - Country Profiles
Copyright: Team The World of Info