Cape Verderava Cape Verderava
Cape Verde Dorfrava 2 Cape Verde Dorfrava 2
Nova Sintrarava Cape Verde Nova Sintrarava Cape Verde
Faja Daguarava Cape Verde Islands 2 Faja Daguarava Cape Verde Islands 2
Cape Verdeaio Beach Cape Verdeaio Beach
Maio Cape Verde Fischer Maio Cape Verde Fischer
Tarrafal Sao Nicolau 2 Tarrafal Sao Nicolau 2
Sao Nicolau Cape Verde Islands Sao Nicolau Cape Verde Islands2
Sao Nicolau Landscape 2 Sao Nicolau Landscape 2
Cape Verde Islands Sao Nicolau Cape Verde Islands Sao Nicolau
Cape Verde Fogo Pico 2 Cape Verde Fogo Pico 2
Cape Verde View Onrava Cape Verde View Onrava
Steep Coast Fogo Cape Verde Steep Coast Fogo Cape Verde
Sao Filipe Fogo Sao Filipe Fogo
Sao Filipe Fogo Cape Verde Sao Filipe Fogo Cape Verde
Pico Fogo Cape Verde 1 Pico Fogo Cape Verde
Lavab Beach Island Fogo 2 Lavab Beach Island Fogo 2
Fogo Caldeira Fogo Caldeira
Coast Fogo Cape Verde Islands Coast Fogo Cape Verde Islands
Fogo Funku Pico Fogo Funku Pico
Santo Antao Cape Verde 1 Santo Antao Cape Verde
Santao Antao Fishermen Cape Verde 2 Santao Antao Fishermen Cape Verde 2
Cape Verde Santo Antao Paul Cape Verde Santo Antao Paul2
Paul Santo Antao2 Paul Santo Antao2
Tarrafal Santo Antao4 Tarrafal Santo Antao4
Mountains Santo Antao 2 Mountains Santo Antao 2 1
Mountains Santo Antao2 Mountains Santo Antao2 1
Sport Fishing Sao Vicente Cape Verde Sport Fishing Sao Vicente Cape Verde
Sao Vicente Sao Pedro Sao Vicente Sao Pedro
Baia Das Gatas 3 Baia Das Gatas 3
Norteaia 2 Norteaia 2
B Beach Tarrafal Island Santiago B Beach Tarrafal Island Santiago
Serraalagueta Santiago Cape Verde Serraalagueta Santiago Cape Verde2
Praia Santiago Cape Verde Islands Praia Santiago Cape Verde Islands
Island Boavista Chaves Beach Island Boavista Chaves Beach
Chaves Beach Island Boa Vista Chaves Beach Island Boa Vista
Dunes Cape Verde Islandsoavista 1 Dunes Cape Verde Islandsoavista
Islandoavista Desert Oase 2 Islandoavista Desert Oase 2
Dunesoa Vista Cape Verde Sonnenuntergang 2 Dunesoa Vista Cape Verde Sonnenuntergang 2
Wreckoa Vista Wreckoa Vista
B Beachoa Vista Cape Verde Islands B Beachoa Vista Cape Verde Islands
B Beach Djeu Cape Verde 2 B Beach Djeu Cape Verde 2
B Beach Onoa Vista 2 B Beach Onoa Vista 2
B Beach Palmsoa Vista B Beach Palmsoa Vista
Saluracona Cape Verde 2 Saluracona Cape Verde 2
Cape Verde Windsurfer 2 Cape Verde Windsurfer 2
Cape Verde Surfer 2 Cape Verde Surfer 2
Cape Verde Sal Santaria Beachoot 2 Cape Verde Sal Santaria Beachoot 2
Cape Verde Sal Espargos 2 Cape Verde Sal Espargos 2
Salines Sal Cape Verde Salines Sal Cape Verde
Salines Cape Verde Salines Cape Verde
Sal Beach Areal View Sal Beach Areal View
Areal View Santaaria Sal Areal View Santaaria Salobile
Buracona Sal Cape Verde Buracona Sal Cape Verde
B Beach Santaaria Island Sal B Beach Santaaria Sal Island 1
Street Santaaria Cape Verde Street Santaaria Cape Verde
Santaaria Sal Beach 2 Santaaria Sal Beach 2
Insal Sal Santaaria Hotels Beach Island Sal Santaaria Hotels Beach2
Tamarinde Cape Verde Tamarinde Cape Verde
B Beach Welle Cape Verde B Beach Welle Cape Verde
Sonnenuntergang Cape Verde Islands Sonnenuntergang Cape Verde Islands
Sonnenuntergang Cape Verde 2 Sonnenuntergang Cape Verde 2
Cape Verde Yacht Cape Verde Yacht
Cape Verde Beach Cape Verde Beach
Cape Verde Beach Schirme Cape Verde Beach Schirme
Cape Verde Steinformationen Cape Verde Steinformationen
Gesteinsformationen Cape Verde Gesteinsformationen Cape Verde
Fischerboote Cape Verde 2 Fischerboote Cape Verde 2
Duenen Sand Cape Verde Duenen Sand Cape Verde
Abendstimmung Beach Cape Verde Islands Abendstimmung Beach Cape Verde Islands
Arial View Santaaria Sal Arial View Santaaria Salobile
Monte Cara2 Monte Cara2

Language

Crioulo and Portuguese – the languages of Cape Verde

There is a saying that the language reveals much about a country. This also applies to Cape Verde, where Creole (Crioulo) – in addition to the official national language of Portuguese – reflects its citizen’s unbelievable diversity that has been produced by centuries of migration.
So Portuguese is used for legal matters, in the media, at public offices, in churches and schools. On the other hand, Creole is the colloquial language spoken on the streets but also the language of music and poetry. The Creole of the Cape Verde Islands is considered to be one of the oldest African-European Creole languages. It can be compared with the Creole of Haiti, the Seychelles, Sierra Leone or Réunion. What all of these languages have in common is their historical background: People of very diverse origins had to communicate with each other somehow and therefore mixed their own language with words from the prevailing colonial language. Consequently, the Creole of Cape Verde consists of 90% from the “old“ Portuguese. The rest was borrowed from the African, French, English and other European languages; words from all of those languages whose people influenced the island’s history in the past. Above all, the intonation and the figurative images of the Creole form of expression come from Africa.
In addition, each of the islands has its own dialect. Due to their history, many English words are heard in São Vicente and the language of Santo Antão sounds more like French. Whenever people work together across the regions, they speak a type of “official Creole“ that everyone understands. With ALUPEC (The Unified Alphabet for the Writing of Capeverdean Creole), it became possible to declare Creole, which had only existed as a spoken language up to that time, as the official second national language.
When you are a visitor to the islands and greet the residents with “Hello, how are you?” in Creole, you are sure to be welcomed with a happy smile. You can find the most important Creole words and sentences in the Creole language guides that we recommend.

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