Maio Creole

Maio Creole is the name given to the variant of Cape Verdean Creole spoken mainly in the Maio Island of Cape Verde. It belongs to the Sotavento Creoles branch. It numbers the entire island population which includes a small part which also speaks Portuguese, in 2005, the percentage was 1.36%.

It is the eighth and one of the least spoken Cape Verdean Creole and is after Brava and ahead of Boa Vista.

Characteristics

Besides the main characteristics of Sotavento Creoles the Maio Creole has also the following ones:

• The progressive aspect of the present is formed by putting stâ before the verbs: stâ + V.
• The unstressed final vowels and frequently disappear. Ex.: cumádr’ instead of cumádri “midwife”, vilúd’ instead of vilúdu “velvet”, bunít’ instead of bunítu “beautiful”, cantád’ instead of cantádu “sung”.
• The sound (that originates from old Portuguese, written j in the beginning of words) is partially represented by . Ex. jantâ instead of djantâ “to dine”, jôg’ instead of djôgu “game”, but in words like djâ “already”, Djõ “John” the sound remains.

Vocabulary

Grammar

Phonology

Alphabet

References