(Re)defining the classification of Mauritian French varieties through a phonemic/phonetic approach

Abstract In this chapter, we question the validity of previous works on the phonology of Mauritian French, which take a sociolinguistic approach and argue that there exist three varieties of Mauritian French, based on the (ethnic) population’s speech. We question the two dichotomies between endogenous and exogenous varieties of Mauritian French and between “Gens de couleur” and “Afro-Creole” groups. We show that this classification of the Creole community does not stand with regard to genealogy and that the “new French-speakers” variety should also not be regarded as a homogeneous and stable variety. We propose to analyse the stratification of Mauritian French by taking as focal point acoustic phonetics, which could then give a new insight into the social and sociolinguistic landscape of Mauritius Islands.