CREOLE


Meaning of CREOLE in English

n.

Any pidgin language that has become established as the native language of a speech community.

A creole usually arises when speakers of one language become economically or politically dominant over speakers of another. A simplified or modified form of the dominant group's language (pidgin), used for communication between the two groups, may eventually become the native language of the less powerful community. Examples include Sea Island Creole (formerly Gullah, derived from English), spoken in South Carolina's Sea Islands; Haitian Creole (derived from French); and Papiamento (derived from Spanish and Portuguese), spoken in Curaçao, Aruba, and Bonaire.

Britannica Concise Encyclopedia.      Краткая энциклопедия Британика.