Practical Language Guide

For visitors wanting to engage respectfully:

Basic Creole Phrases

Guadeloupean: - Bonjou - Good morning - Bonswa - Good afternoon/evening - Mèsi - Thank you - Souplé - Please - Eskizé mwen - Excuse me

Martinican: - Bonjou - Good morning - Bonswa - Good afternoon/evening - Mèsi - Thank you - Tanpi - Please - Padon - Excuse me

Language Etiquette

Do: - Attempt basic Creole greetings - Ask which language people prefer - Appreciate code-switching as skill - Recognize Creole as complete language - Support Creole cultural products

Don't: - Call Creole "broken French" - Assume everyone speaks French fluently - Mock accents or mixing - Insist on "pure" languages - Ignore language politics