Saint Lucian Creole

Saint Lucian Creole (Kwéyòl, also called Patwa or Patois) is a French-lexified Antillean creole spoken by most of the population of Saint Lucia, alongside English. Most vocabulary derives from French, while its development and grammar reflect plantation-era contact involving West African languages, French, and earlier Caribbean languages; English has also supplied many newer words. Kwéyòl uses preverbal particles to express tense, mood, and aspect and is closely related to the creoles of Dominica, Martinique, and Guadeloupe, with substantial mutual intelligibility. A phonemic Latin-based writing system is used in the Ministry of Education's Kwéyòl dictionary and other teaching materials. Although English is the official language, school classes, cultural programs, media, and a government-approved Kwéyòl national anthem support public use.