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ERIC Number: EJ884602
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2007
Pages: 21
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0143-4632
EISSN: N/A
Mauritian Creole and Language Attitudes in the Education System of Multiethnic and Multilingual Mauritius
Rajah-Carrim, Aaliya
Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, v28 n1 p51-71 2007
Mauritius is a multilingual postcolonial island of the Indian Ocean. Although the French-lexified creole, Mauritian Creole/Kreol, is the native language of 70% of the Mauritian population, it is excluded from the education system. Kreol lacks prestige because it is seen as broken French and associated with the local Creoles, a socioeconomically deprived ethnic group. Over the last decade, there has been increasing pressure on the government from linguists and pedagogues to include this low-prestige variety in the school system. The government has recently proposed the introduction of Kreol in primary schools. In this study, I analyse the attitudes of 79 Mauritians towards the introduction of Kreol into the education system. I show that there is no consensus as to whether or not Kreol should be introduced in schools. Responses also highlight the two distinct roles of Kreol: it is both a national language and an ethnic language associated with Creole identity. (Contains 3 notes, 2 tables, and 6 figures.)
Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 325 Chestnut Street Suite 800, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Fax: 215-625-2940; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Mauritius
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A