Seychellois Creole

language
name=Seychellois Creole
nativename=Kreol, Seselwa
states=Seychelles
speakers=72,700 [ [http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=crs Ethnologue report for language code:crs ] ]
familycolor=Creole
fam1=Creole language
fam2=French Creole
fam3=Bourbonnais Creoles
iso2=
iso3=crs

Seychellois Creole, also known as Kreol or Seselwa, is the French-based creole language of the Seychelles. It shares official language status with English and French (in contrast to Mauritian Creole, which has no official status in Mauritius).

Description

Since its independence in 1976, the government of the Seychelles has sought to develop Creole as a separate language, with its own orthography and grammar, establishing "Lenstiti Kreol" ("l'Institut créole", the Creole Institute) for this purpose.

The spelling of words in Creole has been considerably simplified compared to the original French, as demonstrated by the following translations of 'We all need to work together to build our future':

In Creole, the definite article (derived from the French "le", "la" and "les") forms part of the word, so that 'the future' is "lavenir" (as opposed to the French "avenir"). The possessive is formed by adding the pronoun, so that 'our future' is "nou lavenir", literally, 'we-the-future'. Similarly in the plural, "les Îles Éloignés Seychelles" in French ('the Outer Seychelles Islands') becomes "Zil Elwanyen Sesel" in Creole. Note the "z" in "Zil", as, in French, "les Îles" is pronounced /le"zil/.

Text Sample

(Lord's Prayer)

:Ou, nou papa ki dan lesyel,:Fer ou ganny rekonnet konman Bondye.:Ki ou renny i arive.:Ki ou lavolonte i ganny realize:Lo later parey i ete dan lesyel:Donn nou sak zour nou dipen ki nou bezwen.:Pardonn nou pour bann lofans:Ki noun fer anver ou,:Parey nou pardonn sa ki n ofans nou.:Pa les tantasyon domin nou,:Me tir nou dan lemal.

(see also Koste Seselwa)

External links

* [http://www.seychelles.net/festivalkreol/indexKR.htm 21st Creole festival, October 2006 (In Creole)]

References