Do You Know About the Languages Spoken in Mauritius?
Written on : 15 January 2024 By : Disha Pegu
Mauritius is an absolutely stunning island-nation in the Indian ocean and an inspiring example of modern democracy and a highly cosmopolitan and multi-racial population. With its gorgeous white-sand beaches and colorful streets, Mauritius is a dream destination. The population is almost 1.3 million with 68% of the population comprising Indians, and rest a mix of Creole, Europeans, Chinese, French, English and South Africans. For a tiny island, this multi-cultural and multi-lingual population is indeed a surprising fact which displays harmony within diversity and melting pot of heritages of people belonging from various ethnicities which is not a common sight in most island nations which remains fairly homogenous to its native inhabitants. Today we are going to give a brief insight into the languages spoken Mauritius which can be a source of curiosity for travelers.
To begin with, there is no official in Mauritius. The Constitution of the country is written in English whereas other laws like for instance the civil codes are written in French. Approximately 85.6% of the population speak Mauritian Creole which has an influence from French and it serves as the lingua franca of Mauritius. Most of the official administrative work and curriculum at school is taught in English, in contrast to the television, media and newspapers which operate in French. English and French are extensively used in business, court proceedings and other official affairs. Among the other languages widely spoken are Tamil, Hindi , Bhojpuri, Chinese and other Asian languages.
Mauritian Creole is the most widely spoken language in Mauritius. It is an amalgamation of Creole, African, English, French and South Asian languages. Creole as a language has variants in other parts of the world like the Haitian Creole and apart from this, Creole has internal variants within Mauritius as well like the Rodriguan Creole, Chagossian Creole etc. Nonetheless, all the variants are almost mutually understandable for its speakers. An examination of the history of the linguistic changes in Mauritius indicates that Mauritian Creole was created by the early immigrants of the island. It is a fascinating fact that many Indian immigrants of the island speak Mauritian Creole as their native language. Although the medium of instructions at school is predominantly English and French, Creole is a part of the curriculum to include the native language in education. Multilingualism is positively adapted in Mauritius. If we dive deeper into the history of the multilingualism in Mauritius, according to documented records, Mauritius has no trace of a native population. The island nation was first colonized by the Dutch in 1598 till 1710, then by the French in 1715. Mauritian Creole developed as a lexifier between the French colonialists and the population of Mauritius back then as a bridging language. Then in 1810, Mauritius was taken over the English Empire, hence the widespread use of the English language comes into being. We can clearly see that its multi-colonial past has made Mauritius a multiethnic and multilinguistic nation.
The alluring history of this splendid island nation is worth exploring hence Mauritius has become one of the most touristic destinations attracting people from all over the world. The sun, sand and sea and the pleasant climate all year round makes it the perfect vacation spot. Mauritius is well-connected airways by major airlines to and from most countries of the world. It has to offer a variety of activities and experiences along with a diversity in cuisines kudos to its multicultural population. We at Villanovo, are extremely pleased to have a number of luxury villas as well budget villasall over Mauritius to host our guests with the best hospitality and comfort.
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