Orthography, ideology and the codification of Mauritian Creole

Abstract

Abstract This paper examines the choices made at the levels of Ausbau (‘language by development’, Kloss 1967 : 29–30) and Abstand (‘language by distance’, ibid) during the codification phase of Mauritian Creole. Using the document Lortograf Kreol Morisien ( Ministry of Education and Human Resources 2011 ) as its focal point, it studies the co-association between Ausbau and Abstand and connects the choices made to a broader ideological framework which sets out to ‘promot[e] our country’s language’ ( Hookoomsing 2011 : 9). It explores the implication of adopting a linguistic form which a user can ‘intimately connect with loved ones, community and personal identity’ ( Delpit 2006 : 95) while simultaneously providing it with the stature traditionally enjoyed by the lexifier. In the final instance it views the decreasing Abstand of Mauritian Creole as a form of prestige planning ( Haarmann 1986 ) carried out with the possible intention of enhancing its public image.

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