English-based creole languages in the context of "Singlish"

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⭐ Core Definition: English-based creole languages

An English-based creole language (often shortened to English creole) is a creole language for which English was the lexifier, meaning that at the time of its formation the vocabulary of English served as the basis for the majority of the creole's lexicon. Most English creoles were formed in British colonies, following the great expansion of British naval military power and trade in the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries. The main categories of English-based creoles are Atlantic (the Americas and Africa) and Pacific (Asia and Oceania).

Over 76.5 million people globally are estimated to speak an English-based creole. Sierra Leone, Malaysia, Nigeria, Ghana, Jamaica and Singapore have the largest concentrations of creole speakers.

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👉 English-based creole languages in the context of Singlish

Singlish (a portmanteau of Singapore and English), formally known as Colloquial Singaporean English, is an English-based creole language originating in Singapore. Singlish arose out of a situation of prolonged language contact between speakers of different languages in Singapore, including Malay, Cantonese, Hokkien, Mandarin, Teochew, and Tamil. Singlish is spoken alongside Standard Singapore English in a diglossic manner, and represents the colloquial register of English used between locals. As such, Singlish is not regarded as a separate language from English in Singapore, but rather, a sub-variety of it, forming a lectal continuum with the standard language. The term Singlish was first recorded in the early 1970s. Singlish has similar roots and is highly mutually intelligible with the Manglish spoken in Peninsular Malaysia.

Like all languages, Singlish and other creole languages show consistent internal logic and grammatical complexity, and are learnt natively within a community. As with many other creoles, it is sometimes perceived to be a "broken" form of the lexifier language—in this case, English. Due in part to this perception of Singlish as "broken English", the use of Singlish is greatly frowned on by the Singaporean government. In 2000, the government launched the Speak Good English Movement in an attempt to discourage the use Singlish, although more recent Speak Good English campaigns are conducted with tacit acceptance of Singlish as valid for informal usage. Several current and former Singaporean prime ministers have publicly spoken out against Singlish. However, the prevailing view among contemporary linguists is that, regardless of perceptions that a dialect or language is "better" or "worse" than its counterparts, when dialects and languages are assessed "on purely linguistic grounds, all languages—and all dialects—have equal merit".

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English-based creole languages in the context of Tok Pisin language

Tok Pisin (English: /tɒk ˈpɪsɪn/ TOK PISS-in, /tɔːk, -zɪn/ tawk, -⁠zin; Tok Pisin: [tok pisin]), often referred to by English speakers as New Guinea Pidgin or simply Pidgin, is an English creole language spoken throughout Papua New Guinea. It is an official language of Papua New Guinea and the most widely used language in the country. In parts of the southern provinces of Western, Gulf, Central, Oro, and Milne Bay, the use of Tok Pisin has a shorter history and is less universal, especially among older people.

Between five and six million people use Tok Pisin to some degree, though not all speak it fluently. Many now learn it as a first language, in particular the children of parents or grandparents who originally spoke different languages (for example, a mother from Madang and a father from Rabaul). Urban families in particular, and those of police and defence force members, often communicate among themselves in Tok Pisin, either never gaining fluency in a local language (tok ples) or learning a local language as a second (or third) language after Tok Pisin (and possibly English). Over the decades, Tok Pisin has increasingly overtaken Hiri Motu as the dominant lingua franca among town-dwellers. Perhaps one million people now use Tok Pisin as a primary language. Tok Pisin is slowly "crowding out" other languages of Papua New Guinea.

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English-based creole languages in the context of South Caribbean Coast Autonomous Region

The South Caribbean Coast Autonomous Region is one of two autonomous regions in Nicaragua. It was created along with the North Caribbean Coast Autonomous Region by the Autonomy Statute of 7 September 1987 through a division of the former Zelaya Department. It covers an area of 27,260 km (10,530 sq mi) and has a population of 420,935 (2021 estimate). The capital is Bluefields. Bordering the Caribbean Sea, it contains part of the region known as Moskitia.

It is divided into 12 municipalities: Bluefields, the Corn Islands, Desembocadura de Río Grande, El Ayote, El Tortuguero, Kukra Hill, La Cruz de Río Grande, Muelle de los Bueyes, Nueva Guinea, Paiwas, Pearl Lagoon, and Rama. Eight languages are spoken in the region, with English Creole and Spanish being dominant. The regional official languages are: Spanish (national official language of Nicaragua), Creole (Moskitian Creole and Rama Cay Creole), Sumo (Mayangna and Ulwa), Rama, Miskito, and Garifuna.

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English-based creole languages in the context of Torres Strait Creole

Torres Strait Creole (Torres Strait Creole: Yumplatok), also known as Torres Strait Pidgin, Brokan/Broken, Cape York Creole, Lockhart Creole, Kriol, Papuan, Broken English, Blaikman, Big Thap, Pizin, and Ailan Tok, is an English-based creole language (a variety of Pidgin English) spoken on several Torres Strait Islands of Queensland, Australia; Northern Cape York; and south-western coastal Papua New Guinea (PNG).

It has an estimated 20,000–30,000 mother-tongue and bi/tri-lingual speakers. It is widely used as a language of trade and commerce.

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English-based creole languages in the context of Australian Kriol

Australian Kriol, also known as Roper River Kriol, Fitzroy Valley Kriol, Australian Creole, Northern Australian Creole or Aboriginal English, is an English-based creole language that developed from a pidgin used initially in the region of Sydney and Newcastle in New South Wales, Australia, in the early days of European colonisation. Later, it was spoken by groups further west and north.

The pidgin died out in most parts of the country, except in the Northern Territory, where the contact between European settlers, Chinese people and other Asian groups, and the Aboriginal Australians in the northern regions has maintained a vibrant use of the language, which is spoken by about 30,000 people. Despite its similarities to English in vocabulary, it has a distinct syntactic structure and grammar. It is a language in its own right and is distinct from Torres Strait Creole.

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English-based creole languages in the context of Languages of Vanuatu

The Republic of Vanuatu has the world's highest linguistic density per capita. Despite being a country with a population of less than 300,000, Vanuatu is home to 138 indigenous Oceanic languages.

The country's three official languages are of foreign origin: English, French, and Bislama, an English-based creole language.

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English-based creole languages in the context of Guyanese Creole language

Guyanese Creole (Creolese by its speakers or simply Guyanese) is an English-based creole language spoken in various forms by the majority of Guyanese people. It emerged during the Atlantic Slave Trade among enslaved Africans who were brought to Dutch, and later, British Guiana from West and Central Africa, between the mid-1600s and 1834. Many of these Africans arrived via the Caribbean islands of Barbados, and the Leeward Islands. As a result, Guyanese Creole shares key features with other Afro-Caribbean English-based creoles, particularly those of the Eastern Caribbean. It contains many African retentions and has loan words from indigenous-American languages, as well as Hindustani due to Indian acculturation.

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English-based creole languages in the context of Caribbean English

Caribbean English (CE, CarE) is a set of dialects of the English language which are spoken in the Caribbean and most countries on the Caribbean coasts of Central America and South America. Caribbean English is influenced by, but is distinct to the English-based creole languages spoken in the region. Though dialects of Caribbean English vary structurally and phonetically across the region, all are primarily derived from British English, Indigenous languages and West African languages. In some countries with a plurality Indian population, such as Trinidad and Tobago and Guyana, Caribbean English has further been influenced by Hindustani and other South Asian languages.

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