今までずっと誤解してたけれど、「クレオール」という言語はないということを知る。
それは今朝聞いていたハイチの大統領関連のコラム。
で、この新しい大統領、アリエル・アンリ氏の喋り。あれフランス語なのか…、と思って聴いていて調べたら、
Languages
The two official languages of Haiti are French and Haitian Creole. French is the principal written and administratively authorized language (as well as the main language of the press) and is spoken by 42% of Haitians.[350][351] It is spoken by all educated Haitians, is the medium of instruction in most schools, and is used in the business sector. It is also used in ceremonial events such as weddings, graduations and church Masses. Haiti is one of two independent nations in the Americas (along with Canada) to designate French as an official language; the other French-speaking areas are all overseas départements, or collectivités, of France, such as French Guiana. Haitian Creole is spoken by nearly all of the Haitian population. French, the base language for Haitian Creole, is popular among the Haitian elite and upper classes. French is also popular in the business sector, and to a far lesser degree, English due to American influence. Spanish is growing in popularity among Haitians who live along the Haitian-Dominican border.[352] English and Spanish are also popular among Haitian deportees from the United States and various Latin American countries. Though, about 90-95% of Haitians only speak Haitian Creole/French fluently, with over half only knowing Creole.[353]
Haitian Creole,[354] which has recently undergone a standardization, is spoken by virtually the entire population of Haiti.[355] Haitian Creole is one of the French-based creole languages. Its vocabulary is 90% derived from French, but its grammar resembles that of some West African languages. It also has influences from Taino, Spanish, and Portuguese.[356] Haitian Creole is related to the other French creoles, but most closely to the Antillean Creole and Louisiana Creole variants.
Haitian Creole is one of the French-based creole languages
「フランス語ベースのクレオール語の1つ」とある。んんん？
A creole language,[2][3][4] or simply creole, is a stable natural language that develops from the simplifying and mixing of different languages into a new one within a fairly brief period of time: often, a pidgin evolved into a full-fledged language.
おお、なるほど！「クレオール語」という言語はなく、あくまでベースになる言語にいろんな言語が混ざり、文法含めて一つの別言語となったメタな言語のことだった様子。それに対して「ピジン語」は言語としてはベースの言語だけれど、いろんな語彙が混ざった状態、例えば南洋の「ピジン英語」とか。
なのでハイチ・クレオールはフランス語ベースだけれどフランス語話者との意思の疎通はできない（文法はアフリカの言語に近い）。食べ物でおなじみのルイジアナのクレオールとも共通項が多いらしい。ただしISO 639-2的には"crp"というコードで全てのクレオールとピジンは一括り。
日本語ベースもある！
宜蘭クレオール（ぎらんクレオール、中: 寒溪泰雅語）は、台湾北東部の宜蘭県のいくつかの村で先住民のアタヤル人によって使われている、日本統治時代の影響による日本語とアタヤル語の言語接触により生まれたクレオール言語である。
