Kreol Réyoné
Réunion Creole
French-based creole
Réunion Creole (Kreol Réyoné, Kréol La Rényon) is the French-based creole of Réunion island in the Indian Ocean (~600K L1 speakers), an overseas department of France. Together with Mauritian (mfe) and Seychellois (crs) creoles it forms the Indian Ocean French-creole triad (the Mascarene-creole sub-cluster). Substrate influence comes from East African Bantu, Malagasy and Indian Tamil from indentured laborers. Three competing orthographies are in use (the SudEL graphical, Lékritir 77 and Tangol). Used widely in oral domains, music (maloya, séga), and increasingly in literature, but French dominates schooling and administration.
Where it is spoken
31 core words in Réunion Creole
Water
dlo
/dlo/
Fire
dofé
/dofe/
Sun
soley
/solej/
Moon
lalinn
/lalin/
Star
zétoil
/zetwal/
Mother
manmon
/mãmõ/
Father
papa
/papa/
I
mwin
/mwɛ̃/
You
ou
/u/
Name
nom
/nɔm/
Eye
zié
/zje/
Hand
lamin
/lamɛ̃/
Heart
ker
/kɛʁ/
Love
lamour
/lamuʁ/
Tree
pyébwa
/pjebwa/
House
kaz
/kaz/
Dog
lisien
/lisjɛ̃/
Cat
shat
/ʃat/
Eat
manz
/mãz/
Drink
bwar
/bwaʁ/
One
inn
/in/
Two
de
/de/
Hello
bonzour
/bõzuʁ/
Thank you
mersi
/mɛʁsi/
Good
bon
/bõ/
Sources
- Cellier — Comparons nos langues
- Ethnologue 27: Réunion Creole
- Chaudenson (1974) Le lexique du parler créole de la Réunion
Words compared
Compared with related French-based creole languages
| Meaning | Réunion Creole | Seychellois Creole | Guadeloupean Creole | Haitian Creole | Mauritian Creole | French Guianese Creole | Saint Lucian Creole |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water | dlo /dlo/ | delo /delo/ | dlo /dlo/ | dlo /dlo/ | dilo /dilo/ | dlo /dlo/ | dlo /dlo/ |
| Fire | dofé /dofe/ | dife /dife/ | difé /dife/ | dife /dife/ | dife /dife/ | dife /dife/ | difé /dife/ |
| Sun | soley /solej/ | soley /solej/ | solèy /solɛj/ | solèy /sɔlɛj/ | soley /solej/ | solèy /sɔlɛj/ | solèy /solɛj/ |
| Moon | lalinn /lalin/ | lalin /lalin/ | lalin /lalin/ | lalin /lalin/ | lalinn /lalin/ | lalin /lalin/ | lalin /lalin/ |
| Star | zétoil /zetwal/ | zetwal /zetwal/ | zétwal /zetwal/ | zetwal /zetwal/ | zetwal /zetwal/ | zetwal /zetwal/ | zetwal /zetwal/ |
| Mother | manmon /mãmõ/ | manman /mãmã/ | manman /mãmã/ | manman /mɑ̃mɑ̃/ | mama /mama/ | manman /mɑ̃mɑ̃/ | manman /mɑ̃mɑ̃/ |
| Father | papa /papa/ | papa /papa/ | papa /papa/ | papa /papa/ | papa /papa/ | papa /papa/ | papa /papa/ |
| I | mwin /mwɛ̃/ | mon /mɔ̃/ | an /ã/ | mwen /mwɛ̃/ | mo /mo/ | mo /mo/ | mwen /mwɛ̃/ |
| You | ou /u/ | ou /u/ | ou /u/ | ou /u/ | to /to/ | to /to/ | ou /u/ |
| Name | nom /nɔm/ | non /nɔ̃/ | non /nɔ̃/ | non /nɔ̃/ | nom /nom/ | non /nɔ̃/ | non /nõ/ |
| Eye | zié /zje/ | lizye /lizje/ | zyé /zje/ | je /ʒe/ | lizie /lizje/ | zye /zje/ | zié /zje/ |
| Hand | lamin /lamɛ̃/ | lanmen /lãmɛ̃/ | men /mɛ̃/ | men /mɛ̃/ | lame /lame/ | men /mɛn/ | lanmen /lɑ̃mɛn/ |
| Heart | ker /kɛʁ/ | leker /lekeʁ/ | kè /kɛ/ | kè /kɛ/ | leker /lekeɾ/ | kè /kɛ/ | tjè /tʃɛ/ |
| Love | lamour /lamuʁ/ | lanmour /lãmuʁ/ | lanmou /lãmu/ | lanmou /lɑ̃mu/ | lamour /lamuɾ/ | renmen /rɛ̃mɛn/ | anmou /ɑ̃mu/ |
| Tree | pyébwa /pjebwa/ | pye dibwa /pje dibwa/ | pyé bwa /pje bwa/ | pyebwa /pjebwa/ | pye /pje/ | bwa /bwa/ | piébwa /pjebwa/ |
| House | kaz /kaz/ | lakaz /lakaz/ | kaz /kaz/ | kay /kaj/ | lakaz /lakaz/ | kaz /kaz/ | kay /kaj/ |
| Dog | lisien /lisjɛ̃/ | lisyen /lisjɛ̃/ | chyen /ʃjɛ̃/ | chen /ʃɛ̃/ | lisien /lisjɛ̃/ | chen /ʃɛ̃/ | chyen /tʃjɛn/ |
| Cat | shat /ʃat/ | sat /sat/ | chat /ʃat/ | chat /ʃat/ | sat /sat/ | chat /ʃa/ | chat /tʃa/ |
| Eat | manz /mãz/ | manze /mãze/ | manjé /mãʒe/ | manje /mɑ̃ʒe/ | manze /mãze/ | manjé /mɑ̃ʒe/ | manjé /mɑ̃ʒe/ |
| Drink | bwar /bwaʁ/ | bwar /bwaʁ/ | bwè /bwɛ/ | bwè /bwɛ/ | bwar /bwaɾ/ | bwè /bwɛ/ | bwè /bwɛ/ |
| One | inn /in/ | enn /ɛn/ | yonn /jõn/ | youn /jun/ | enn /ɛn/ | youn /jun/ | yonn /jɔn/ |
| Two | de /de/ | de /de/ | dé /de/ | de /de/ | de /de/ | de /de/ | dé /de/ |
| Hello | bonzour /bõzuʁ/ | bonzour /bõzuʁ/ | bonjou /bõʒu/ | bonjou /bɔ̃ʒu/ | bonzour /bõzuɾ/ | bonjou /bõʒu/ | bonjou /bɔ̃ʒu/ |
| Thank you | mersi /mɛʁsi/ | mersi /mɛʁsi/ | mèsi /mɛsi/ | mèsi /mɛsi/ | mersi /meɾsi/ | mèsi /mɛsi/ | mèsi /mɛsi/ |
| Good | bon /bõ/ | bon /bõ/ | bon /bõ/ | bon /bɔ̃/ | bon /bõ/ | bon /bõ/ | bon /bɔ̃/ |
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