Creole

In linguistic study, a “creole” is a language that has developed due to a merging of two or more other languages and has evolved over time into its own native dialect or language. Creoles are former pidgins which is a ‘makeshift’ language made from two or more languages that is developed by people who do not share a common language. Pidgins are not themselves a native language but evolve due to people with differing languages needing to communicate with each other. If a pidgin develops into its own language that a group of people use as their native tongue then it has transitioned into a creole. Louisiana Creole is an example as it is its own language developed by a group of people as a result of merging French, English, and other languages that eventually evolved into a native language used by a group of people. The largest creole in existence is the Haitian Creole which is comprised mostly of French but has elements of Portuguese, Spanish, West African, and Aramaic influences.


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