Cape Verdean Creole (Kriolu)

Cape Verdean Creole is a creole language based mainly on Portuguese, and also on West African languages which is spoken mainly in Cape Verde. In 2017 there were about 871,000 speakers. It is also spoken by the Cape Verdean diaspora in other countries, such as Angola, Brazil, Guinea-Bissau, Portugal and Senegal.

Cape Verdean Creole is known as kriolu by its speakers. Different dialects are spoken on the different Cape Verde islands, but they are all considered one language by the Cape Verdean authorities. Although Portuguese is the official language of Cape Verde, almost everybody speaks Cape Verdean Creole as their first language.

The official spelling system for Cape Verdean Creole is known as ALUPEC (Alfabeto Unificado para a Escrita do Caboverdiano - Unified Alphabet for Cape Verdean Writing), or as Alfabétu Kabuverdianu (Cape Verdean Alphabet). Not everyone uses this system, and since Cape Verdean Creole is not an official language, this spelling system is not used in official documents, signs or most other printed material.

Cape Verdean Creole alphabet

How to pronounce the Cape Verdean Creole:

Cape Verdean Creole pronunciation

Notes

The digraphs DJ, LH, NH and TX are not considered letters of the alphabet. In collation they are considered as two letters, for example, in dictionaries, words beginning with DJ come between words beginning with DI and DO.
Technically, the combinations vowel + N (when this letter shows nasalization) are digraphs. They are also considered as two separate letters.
When N comes after a vowel and before a consonant, or at the end of a word, it nasalizes the vowel. A tilde is also used to indicate a nasal vowel in some cases, such as mãi [mãj] and nãu [nãw].
The phoneme /ʀ/, which is also pronounced [r] or [ʁ], is written RR, except at the beginning of words, where it's written R.
The name of the letter R is also pronounced [ˈɛʀ(i)] or [ˈɛʁ(i)]
In northern island dialects the unstressed I, (shown in brackets in the alphabet chart) is not pronounced
When unstressed A is pronounced [ɐ]
The letters C, Q and W are only used in foreign loanwords, proper names, acronyms and international symbols.

Download an alphabet chart for Cape Verdean Creole (Excel)

Sample text

Tudo ser humano na ês mundo nacê libri e igual na sê dignidade e na sês drêto. Na sês razon e na sês concénça, tudo arguem debê porcêdê pa co tudo guenti na sprito di fraternidadi.

Source: http://www.ohchr.org/EN/UDHR/Pages/Language.aspx?LangID=kea

Translation

All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.
(Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights)

Information about the Cape Verdean Creole alphabet and pronunciation compiled by Wolfram Siegel, with corrections and additions by Cláudio Alexandre Duarte

Sample video in and about Cape Verdean Creole

Information about Cape Verdean Creole | Phrases | Numbers

Links

Information about Cape Verdean Creole
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cape_Verdean_Creole
http://alupec.kauberdi.org/decreto-lei-67-98.html

Online Cape Verdean Creole lessons (in French)
http://www.mindelo.info/dico_accueil.php

Cape Verdean Creole phrases
http://kriolu.org/creole
http://www.ikuska.com/Africa/Lenguas/kriolu/LengKriolu3.htm
http://www.boavistaofficial.com/EN/phrases-useful-traduction-kriol-capeverdian.php

Creole languages

Betawi, Bislama, Cape Verdean Creole, Chavacano, Chinook Jargon, Dominican Creole French, Fanagalo, French Guianese Creole, Guadeloupean Creole, Guinea-Bissau Creole, Haitian Creole, Jamaican, Kituba, Manado Malay, Mauritian Creole, Nagamese, Ndyuka, Norfuk, Nubi, Palenquero, Papiamento, Pijin, Réunion Creole, Sango, Saramaccan, Seychelles Creole, Sierra Leonean Creole, Singlish, Sranan, Saint Lucian Creole, Tok Pisin, Torres-Strait Creole

Languages written with the Latin alphabet

Page last modified: 26.08.24

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