Fogo Creole is the name given to the variant of
Cape Verdean Creole
Cape Verdean Creole is a Portuguese-based creole language spoken on the islands of Cape Verde. It is also called or by its native speakers. It is the native creole language of virtually all Cape Verdeans and is used as a second language by t ...
spoken mainly in the
Fogo of
Cape Verde. It has around 50,000 speakers or nearly 5% of Cape Verdean Creole speakers including the diaspora's second language speakers. It belongs to the
Sotavento Creoles
Cape Verdean Creole is a Portuguese-based creole language spoken on the islands of Cape Verde. It is also called or by its native speakers. It is the native creole language of virtually all Cape Verdeans and is used as a second language by t ...
branch. The rankings of this form of Cape Verdean Creole is fourth after
Santo Antão and ahead of
Sal.
Characteristics
Besides the main characteristics of
Sotavento Creoles
Cape Verdean Creole is a Portuguese-based creole language spoken on the islands of Cape Verde. It is also called or by its native speakers. It is the native creole language of virtually all Cape Verdeans and is used as a second language by t ...
the Fogo Creole has also the following ones:
* The progressive aspect of the present is formed by putting ''stâ'' before the verbs: ''stâ'' + V.
* The sound that originates from Portuguese (written ''ão'') is represented by instead of . Ex. ''coraçã'' instead of ''coraçõ'' “heart”, ''mã'' instead of ''mõ'' “hand”, ''razã'' instead of ''razõ'' “reason”.
* The sound switches to when it is at the end of syllables. Ex. ''ártu'' instead of ''áltu'' “tall”, ''curpâ'' instead of ''culpâ'' “to blame”, ''burcã'' instead of ''vulcõ'' “volcano”.
* The sound disappears when it is at the end of words. Ex.: ''lugá’'' instead of ''lugár'' “place”, ''midjô’'' instead of ''midjôr'' “better”, ''mudjê’'' instead of ''mudjêr'' “woman”.
* The diphthongs (oral or nasal) are in general pronounced as vowels. Ex.: ''mã’'' instead of ''mãi'' “mother”, ''nã’'' instead of ''nãu'' “no”, ''pá’'' instead of ''pái'' “father”, ''rê’'' instead of ''rêi'' “king”, ''tchapê’'' instead of ''tchapêu'' “hat”.
* The pre-tonic sound is velarized near labial or velar consonants. Ex.: ''badjâ'' “to dance” pronounced , ''cabêlu'' “hair” pronounced , ''catchô’'' “dog” pronounced .
Vocabulary
Grammar
Phonology
Alphabet
References
External links
Short story collections in Fogo Creole by Elsie Clews Parsons
- children's short story in Fogo Creole and also in English
{{Cape Verdean Creole
Fogo, Cape Verde