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creole_atlantic · Cape Verde

Cape Verde (Sotavento / Santiago Kriolu)

creole_atlanticintermediate

Reference-quality preset: a phonetic matrix and a short blurb, not a full flagship build-out. See a flagship variety (Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Cuba, Panama) for situations, cultural context, sayings, and a guided path.

Cape Verde · Santiago / Sotavento

Kriolu (Kabuverdianu) is a Portuguese-lexified creole, not Portuguese itself: its grammar (preverbal TMA particles, its own pronoun and negation system) diverges sharply from European or Brazilian Portuguese even though most vocabulary traces to 15th-16th century Portuguese. Santiago's Sotavento Kriolu is the older, more Africanized branch (Mandinka/Wolof substrate), phonologically and lexically more conservative than the northern Barlavento varieties.

Portuguese-lexified creole with its own grammar, not a Portuguese dialectPreverbal TMA particles (ta, sta, ba) instead of conjugationOlder, more Africanized branch (Mandinka/Wolof substrate)Phonemic nasal vowels inherited from the Portuguese lexifier

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Active features

Every phonetic parameter that deviates from this schema’s diffing anchor, with a plain-English gloss.

FeatureValueMeaningDrill
LanguagelanguagemixedDrill
Mixed Languagesmixed_languagesDrill
S Treatments_treatmentstandardDrill
D Intervocalicd_intervocalicstandardDrill
D Finald_finalstandardDrill
R Infinitiver_infinitivestandardDrill
N Final Velarizationn_final_velarizationNoDrill
Final Consonant Dropfinal_consonant_dropnoneDrill
Vowel Reductionvowel_reductioncrisp_openDrill
Vowel Nasalizationvowel_nasalizationphonemicDrill
Mid Vowel Qualitymid_vowel_qualityseven_vowel_open_closeDrill
Creole Tense Markingcreole_tense_markingYesDrill