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Hawaii
Creole English,
locally known as 'Pidgin', is spoken by at least
600,000 people in the U.S.A. state of Hawaii.
It is an important marker of local identity, and is
used widely in literature. |
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African
American (Vernacular) English
(AAVE),
also called 'Ebonics',
is a minority dialect spoken by most African
Americans thoughout the U.S.A. It is a marker of
ethnic identity, and also a symbol of a youth
culture (though rap and hiphop music). |
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Papiamentu is a creole language spoken by about 200,000 people
on the Caribbean islands of Aruba, Bonaire, and
Curaçao, whose flags are shown here.
(Bonaire and Curaçao are politically part of
the the Netherlands Antilles.)
Papiamentu is a
co-official language (alongside Dutch) on all three
islands, and serves as the language of daily life,
used in homes, markets, TV, radio, newspapers,
literature, churches, and, to a limited extent, in
schools.
Each island has
a slightly different dialect. On Aruba, people
speak 'Papiamento', not 'Papiamentu'! |
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'Geordie'
is a regional dialect of English spoken in
Tyneside, the region around the River Tyne in
northeastern England, dominated by the city of
Newcastle. |
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Naijá (Nigerian Pidgin) has more speakers than any other expanded pidgin or creole – more than 80 million, throughout the most populous country in Africa. |
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Kamtok
(Cameroon Pidgin) is spoken by over
2 million people in the West African country of
Cameroon. It is used in literature and
religion. |
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Krio is a creole that is the native language of less
that 10 % of the population of SIerra Leone (on the
coast of West Africa). But it is also learned as a
second language and widely used as a lingua franca
throughout Sierra Leone and in neighbouring
countries. |
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'Singlish'
is an indigenized variety of English spoken
informally in Singapore. It is mostly spoken as a
second language, but is now a common native
language in Singapore. |
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Aboriginal
English is the name given to the different forms of the
minority dialect spoken by Aboriginal people in
Australia. It is an important marker of ethnic
identity. |
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Tok
Pisin is the dialect of Melanesian Pidgin spoken by more
than 2.5 million people in Papua New Guinea. It is
used in the broadcast and print media, and in
parliamentary debate. |
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Bislama is the dialect of Melanesian Pidgin spoken by over
120,000 people throughout Vanuatu. It has been
declared the national language of the
country. |
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Trinidad
French Creole is spoken on the island of Trinidad in the Republic
of Trinidad & Tobago. In contrast to most of
the Language Varieties in this site, its vocabulary
comes mainly from French, not English. |