Literacy in Pidgin and Creole Languages

Abstract

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Use and Standardisation of Mauritian Creole in Electronically Mediated Communication1

“…In the latter case, a phonemic system would be promoted. This would be systematic and devoid of the inconsistencies of the lexifier and therefore easier to acquire by those illiterate in the lexifier (Siegel, 2005). Do we need to take the number of literates and illiterates into consideration?…”

“…However, note that for people who cannot read the lexifier language, the phonemic system is easier to learn when acquiring literacy because of its consistency and because new readers tend to decode sound by sound. In contrast, the etymological orthography preserves the inconsistencies and historical forms unrelated to pronunciation that are found in the lexifier language (Siegel 2005: 147).…”

“…The Church with the help of the linguist Dev Virahsawmy have also come up with an orthography for Kreol known as grafi legliz . Grafi legliz could be considered as an “intermediate phonemic orthography” (Siegel 2005: 147): It is largely based on phonemic principles but does make some concessions to French spellings (Virahsawmy, personal communication; also Hookoomsing 2004). For instance, in LPT orthography “drink” (French <boire>) is written as <bwar> but in grafi legliz as <boir>, “corner” (French <coin>) is <kwin> in LPT and <koin> in grafi legliz, “cook” (French <cuire>) is <kwi> in LPT and <koui> in grafi legliz.…”

“…In the case of these languages, a distance has to be established between the creole and its lexifier and a balance has to be struck between ideologies of identity and practicalities. The creole orthography also has to be easily accessible to the majority of its speakers (Siegel, 2005). Linguists working on the standardisation of creoles have two options: they can choose a phonemic or an etymological orthography.…”

“…An etymological orthography is based on the spelling conventions of the lexifier. There are different ideologies attached to each system (Siegel, 2005). If the creole is used alongside its lexifier in the community, establishing the creole as a language in its own right usually means distancing it from the lexifier to a maximum.…”