View source for Western Imaguan Creole

{{For|the other creole language spoken on [[Imagua]] with the same name|Eastern Imaguan Creole}}
{{Infobox language
|name          = Western Imaguan Creole
|nativename = ''Imakuakeol''
|pronunciation = 
|region        = {{flag|Imagua and the Assimas}}
|speakers      = 1 million
|date          = 2011
|speakers2     = {{wp|Second language|L2}}: TBD
|familycolor   = Creole
|fam1   = {{wp|Creole language|Blostlandic-based creole}}
|fam2   = [[Imaguan-Vano Pidgin]]
|script = {{wp|Latin script}}
|nation = 
|agency =
|iso3   = iak
|lingua = 
|map    = 
|mapcaption =
}}
'''Western Imaguan Creole''' (''imakuakeol''), commonly known as '''Imaguan Creole''' is the most common language spoken in [[Imagua and the Assimas]]. Developed during [[Blostland|Blostlander]] rule over Imagua and the Assimas, during which time it was attached to [[Eldmark]], Western Imaguan Creole continued evolving following the end of Blostlander rule over the islands, as it passed through control of several countries, including [[Etruria]] and [[Estmere]]. This left a lot of foreign influences on the language.

It is most closely related to the [[Vano Creole]], spoken on the [[Eldmark|Eldish]] island of [[Vano]].

==History==
[[File:ImaguanCreoles.png|250px|thumb|left|Map of the distribution of Western and Eastern Imaguan Creoles in 1911 by [[Edwin Wensley]]]]
While there has been evidence of earlier {{wp|contact languages}} during [[Caldia|Caldish]] rule, when [[Blostland]] took present-day [[Imagua and the Assimas]] and attached them to present-day [[Eldmark]], Blostlandic-speaking settlers started to flow into the area. This led to the development of a pidgin language between the Blostlander settlers and the indigenous Arucian population.

By the late seventeenth century, the pidgin started to develop as a creole language, especially by the surviving Arucians, and the {{wp|mixed-race people|halvras}} population. However, when [[Estmere]] conquered Imagua and the Assimas in 1658, the creole began to spread, partially as slaves brought in adopted the creole, as it was the mother tongue used by the majority of the population at that time, but partially because of the continued economic ties to [[Eldmark]], despite the fact that colonizers often tried to block trade with Eldmark.

While other {{wp|pidgin languages}} were being formed on the islands, as various colonizers each tried to rule over Imagua and the Assimas, what would become Western Imaguan Creole was incredibly dominant, primarily due to the trade with [[Eldmark]]. This allowed the creole to be widely used by both slaves and sailors, which would help fuel its continuing use in Imagua.

In the nineteenth century, as [[Etruria]] and [[Estmere]] colonized Imagua and the Assimas, they began to implement policies to crack down on the creoles and pidgins, and instead require that they learn {{wp|Italian language|Vespasian}} and {{wp|English language|Estmerish}} respectively. This led to a situation of {{wp|diglossia}}, which continues to persist to this day, where Western Imaguan Creole became known as a language of low prestige, while Estmerish and Vespasian were seen as the more prestigious languages, being used in media, in education, and by government.

After independence, Western Imaguan Creole was still looked down upon, as it was viewed as being less prestigious than either Estmerish or Vespasian. Well into the 1980s, Western Imaguan Creole was not taught in schools, and policies were made to prohibit its use in schools and in the media.

Since the 1980s, however, this attitude has been changing: Western Imaguan Creole is starting to be used in television interviews, on radio, and is even being used in [[Education in Imagua and the Assimas#Preschool education|Nursery and Reception]] classes, as well as {{wp|special education}} classes in both [[Education in Imagua and the Assimas#Primary education|primary]] and [[Education in Imagua and the Assimas#Secondary education|secondary]] courses, while classes are offered at both the [[University of Cuanstad]] and the [[Università di San Pietro]] in Western Imaguan Creole since the 1990s.

==Phonology==
The phonology of Western Imaguan Creole is simpler than the phonology of the {{wp|Swedish language|Blostlandic}} language, which served as the {{wp|lexifier}} language for Western Imaguan Creole.

===Consonants===
Consonant-wise, the phonology is exactly like that of the {{wp|Taino language#Phonology|Nati languages}}, which was spoken as a {{wp|lingua franca}} for trade within the [[West Arucian Sea]] prior to Euclean colonisation. There are twelve consonant phonemes in Western Imaguan Creole.

{| class="wikitable" style=text-align:center
! colspan=2| 
! {{wp|Bilabial consonant|Bilabial}}
! {{wp|Alveolar consonant|Alveolar}}
! {{wp|Palatal consonant|Palatal}}
! {{wp|Velar consonant|Velar}}
! {{wp|Glottal consonant|Glottal}}
|-
! rowspan=2| {{wp|Plosive consonant|Plosive}}
! {{small|{{wp|Voicelessness|voiceless}}}}
| {{IPA|p}}
| {{IPA|t}}
|
| {{IPA|k}}
|
|-
! {{small|{{wp|Voice (phonetics)|Voiced}}}}
| {{IPA|b}}
| {{IPA|d}}
| 
|
|
|-
! colspan=2| {{wp|Fricative consonant|Fricative}}
| 
| {{IPA|s}}
| 
|
| {{IPA|h}}
|-
! colspan=2| {{wp|Nasal consonant|Nasal}}
| {{IPA|m}}
| {{IPA|n}}
| 
|
| 
|-
! colspan="2" |{{wp|Trill consonant|Trill}} 
|
| {{IPA|r}}
|
|
|
|-
! colspan=2| {{wp|Approximant consonant|Approximant}}
| {{IPA|w}}
| {{IPA|l}}
| {{IPA|j}}
|
|
|}

===Vowels===
Unlike the Blostlandic language, which has seventeen vowel phonemes, Western Imaguan Creole only has six vowel phonemes, those being {{IPA|/a/}}, {{IPA|/ɪ/}}, {{IPA|/ɛ/}}, {{IPA|/o/}}, {{IPA|/ʊ/}}, and {{IPA|/ʏ/}}, with no vowel lengthening or shortening. This is as many as the {{wp|Taino language|Nati language}}, which has six phonemes.

{| class="wikitable" style=text-align:center
!rowspan=2|
!colspan=2| {{wp|Front vowel|Front}}
!rowspan=2| {{wp|Central vowel|Central}}
!rowspan=2| {{wp|Back vowel|Back}}
|-class=small
!{{wp|Roundedness|Unrounded}}
!{{wp|Roundedness|Rounded}}
|-
! {{wp|Close vowel|Close}}
| {{IPA|ɪ}}
| {{IPA|ʏ}}
|
| {{IPA|ʊ}}
|-
! {{wp|Close-mid vowel|Close-mid}}
|
|
|
| {{IPA|o}}
|-
! {{wp|Open-mid vowel|Open-mid}}
| {{IPA|ɛ}}
| 
|
|
|-
! {{wp|Open vowel|Open}}
|
|
| {{IPA|a}}
|
|}

==Grammar==
The grammar of Western Imaguan Creole is largely based off the native {{wp|Arawakan languages|Arucian languages}} spoken by the indigenous Arucians. Thus, the grammar follows the Arucian {{wp|verb-subject-object}} (VSO) order.

However, it is substantially simpler than the Arucian languages. While the Arucian languages, such as {{wp|Taino|Nadi}} and {{wp|Island Carib language|Imaguan}} had up to seven possessive prefixes, there are four {{wp|possessive prefixes}} in the Western Imaguan Creole, those being ''da-'' for ''my'', ''ba-'' for ''your'', ''wa-'' for ''our'', and ''de-'' for either ''his'' or ''him'', ''her'', or ''their''.

For verbs, all verbs are in the simple present tense, and with the simplification from the old Arucian languages, it has resulted in there being only  ''na-'' for ''I'', ''ba-'' for the singular ''you'', ''ha-'' for ''he'', ''she'', ''they'', or ''them'', and ''wi-'' for ''we'' and the plural ''you''.

An example is the sentence meaning "they are fishing." While in {{wp|Swedish language|Blostlandic}}, it would be written as "''de fiskar,''" in Western Imaguan Creole, it would be written as "''hafiska''."

==Orthography==
The most commonly used orthography for writing Western Imaguan Creole was one based off the Estmerish language, devised by [[Edwin Wensley]] in 1911. While he wanted to create an orthography that was "as similar to {{wp|English language|Estmerish}} as possible" in order to get children to learn Estmerish more easily, he also wanted to make it simple so that "one can understand what sounds go to which letter," if only for the benefit of colonial officials.

While there were some orthographies developed around the same time, most notably the orthography developed by [[Ulberto Perro]] in 1906, with the aim of Etrurifying the language, after the end of the [[Solarian War]], the Wensley orthography became the {{wp|de-facto standard}} for writing Western Imaguan Creole, and by the 1970s, linguist [[Addolorata Viale]] reported that "with the exception of diary entries of some old people in the [[Assimas Islands|Assimas]], Creole is written with the Wensley orthography everywhere."

==Vocabulary==
===Estmerish loanwords===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Creole !! Blostlandic !! Estmerish !! Etymology
|-
| ''bas'' || ''buss'' || ''bus'' || from {{wp|English language|Estmerish}} ''bus''
|-
| ''Esme'' || ''Östmer'' || ''[[Estmere]]'' || from Estmerish ''Estmere''
|-
| ''komputa'' || ''dator'' || ''computer'' || from Estmerish ''computer''
|-
| ''lit'' || ''hiss'' || ''lift'' or ''elevator'' || from Estmerish ''lift''
|-
| ''masin'' || ''maskin'' || ''machine'' || from Estmerish ''machine''
|-
| ''napi'' || ''blöja'' || ''diaper'' or ''nappy'' || from Estmerish ''nappy''
|-
| ''peni'' || ''penny'' || ''pence'' or ''penny'' || from Estmerish ''penny''
|-
| ''siling'' || ''shilling'' || ''shilling'' || from Estmerish ''shilling''
|-
| ''tali'' || ''spårvagn'' || ''streetcar'' or ''trolley'' || from Estmerish ''trolley''
|-
| ''tasi'' || ''taxi'' || ''taxi'' || from Estmerish ''taxi''
|-
| ''tiwi'' || ''tv'' || ''television'' || from Estmerish ''TV''
|}

===Vespasian loanwords===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Creole !! Blostlandic !! Estmerish !! Etymology
|-
| ''abika'' || ''fabrik'' || ''factory'' || from {{wp|Italian language|Vespasian}} ''fabbrica''
|-
| ''ako'' || ''äreport'' || ''triumphal arch'' || from Vespasian ''arco'', meaning arch
|-
| ''esta'' || ''fest'' || ''party'' or ''feast'' || from Vespasian ''festa''
|-
| ''Etuia'' || ''Etruska'' || ''[[Etruria]]'' || from Vespasian ''Etruria''
|-
| ''mamo'' || ''marmor'' || ''marble'' || from Vespasian ''marmo''
|-
| ''otostada'' || ''motorväg'' || ''motorway'' || from Vespasian ''autostrada''
|-
| ''lepublika'' || ''republik'' || ''republic'' || from Vespasian ''repubblica''
|-
| ''sitadin'' || ''medborgare'' || ''citizen'' || from Vespasian ''cittadino'' or ''citidina''
|-
| ''uniwesita'' || ''universitet'' || ''university'' || from Vespasian ''università''
|-
| ''wila'' || ''plantage'' || ''plantation'' || from Vespasian ''villa'', meaning manor
|}

===Indigenous vocabulary===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Creole !! Blostlandic !! Estmerish !! Etymology
|-
| ''adanalu'' || ''flygande fisk'' || ''flying fish'' || from Imaguan ''adanaru'', meaning flying fish
|-
| ''pepiti'' || ''orkan'' || ''hurricane'' || from {{wp|Island Carib language|Imaguan}} ''pepeito'', meaning hurricane or wind
|-
| ''hewe'' || ''orm'' || ''snake'' || from Imaguan ''hewe'', meaning snake
|-
| ''Imakua'' || ''Imagua'' || ''Imagua'' || from {{wp|Taino language|Nadi}} ''Imagua'', meaning ''little middle place''
|-
| ''kuweki'' || ''papegoja'' || ''parrot'' || from Imaguan ''kureweki'', meaning parrot
|-
| ''minkun'' || ''potatis'' || ''potato'' || from Imaguan ''minkon'', meaning potato
|-
| ''muna'' || ''hydda'' || ''hut'' || from Imaguan ''muna'', meaning house
|-
| ''wato'' || ''brand'' || ''fire'' || from Imaguan ''wato'', meaning fire
|-
| ''wupu'' || ''att gömma'' || ''to hide'' || from Imaguan ''wupu'', meaning mountain
|-
| ''woli'' || ''mor'' || ''mother'' || from Imaguan ''woryi'', meaning woman
|}

===Blostlandic vocabulary===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Creole !! Blostlandic !! Estmerish !! Notes
|-
| ''abet'' || ''arbete'' || ''work'' ||
|-
| ''ban'' || ''barn'' || ''child'' ||
|-
| ''bot'' || ''båt'' || ''boat'' ||
|-
| ''bebi'' || ''bebis'' || ''baby'' ||
|-
| ''bek'' || ''kulle'' || ''hill'' or ''mountain'' || from Blostlandic ''berg'', meaning mountain
|-
| ''bu'' || ''by'' || ''town'' or ''village'' || Blostlandic word for town is ''stad''
|-
| ''buk'' || ''bok'' || ''book'' ||
|-
| ''bul'' || ''bror'' || ''brother'' ||
|-
| ''dak'' || ''dag'' || ''day'' ||
|-
| ''dop'' || ''dop'' || ''naming'', ''christening'', or ''baptism'' || Blostlandic word for naming is ''namngivning''
|-
| ''er'' || ''ö'' || ''island'' ||
|-
| ''Elmak'' || ''Eldmark'' || ''[[Eldmark]]'' ||
|-
| ''em'' || ''hem'' or ''hus'' || ''home'' or ''house'' || Blostlandic word for house is ''hus''
|-
| ''ha'' || ''far'' || ''father'' ||
|-
| ''ham'' || ''hamn'' || ''port'' ||
|-
| ''hatu'' || ''fartyg'' || ''ship'' ||
|-
| ''hawel'' || ''adjö'' || ''bye'' || from Blostlandic ''farväl'', farewell
|-
| ''hes'' || ''häst'' || ''horse'' ||
|-
| ''Hey'' || ''Hej'' || ''Hello'' or ''Hi'' ||
|-
| ''hika'' || ''kyrka'' || ''church'' ||
|-
| ''hikoko'' || ''kyrkogård'' || ''graveyard'' or ''cemetery'' || 
|-
| ''hukita'' || ''förgifta'' || ''poison'' ||
|-
| ''kad'' || ''gård'' || ''farm'' || From Blostlandic ''gård'', yard
|-
| ''kwito'' || ''kvitto'' || ''receipt'' ||
|-
| ''Kud'' || ''Gud'' || ''God'' ||
|-
| ''lud'' || ''flod'' || ''river'' or ''stream'' || Blostlandic word for stream is ''ström''
|-
| ''makna'' || ''marknadsföra'' or ''marknad'' || ''market'' or ''mall'' || Blostlandic word for mall is ''köpcenter''
|-
| ''mat'' || ''måltid'' || ''meal'' or ''food'' || from Blostlandic ''mat'', meaning food
|-
| ''sista'' || ''syster'' || ''sister'' ||
|-
| ''skate'' || ''skatter'' || ''taxes'' ||
|-
| ''sku'' || ''skog'' || ''forest'' or ''jungle'' || Blostlandic word for jungle is ''djungel''
|-
| ''skula'' || ''skola'' || ''school'' ||
|-
| ''stad'' || ''huvudstaden'' || ''capital city'' || came from Blostlandic for city
|-
| ''stand'' || ''strand'' || ''beach'' ||
|-
| ''wan'' || ''vagn'' || ''wagon'' or ''carriage'' ||
|-
| ''wek'' || ''väg'' || ''road'' ||
|-
| ''yob'' || ''jobb'' || ''job'' ||
|}

===Other loanwords===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Creole !! Blostlandic !! Estmerish !! Etymology
|-
| ''bat'' || ''låda'' || ''box'' || from {{wp|French language|Gaullican}} ''boîte''
|-
| ''ekan'' || ''skärm'' || ''screen'' || from Gaullican ''écran''
|-
| ''he'' || ''chef'' || ''boss'' || from Gaullican ''chef''
|-
| ''kala'' || ''vän'' || ''friend'' || from {{wp|Irish language|Ghaillish}} ''cara''
|-
| ''Kalika'' || ''Galia'' || ''[[Gaullica]]'' || from {{wp|Latin language|Solarian}} ''Gaullia'' via Gaullican
|-
| ''Kitian'' || ''Östland'' || ''[[Caldia]]'' || from Ghaillish ''Glítteann''
|-
| ''kitambi'' || ''branding'' || ''branding'' || from {{wp|Shona language|Rwizi}} ''chitambi'', meaning stamp
|-
| ''kowsa'' || ''koiatska'' || ''[[Coius|Coian]]'' || from [[Ziba language|Ziba]] ''gauza zebiumhi'' via {{wp|English language|Estmerish}} ''gowsa''
|-
| ''latin'' || ''badrum'' || ''bathroom'' || from Gaullican ''latrine''
|-
| ''met'' || ''slavägare'' || ''slave owner'' || from Gaullican ''maître'', meaning "master"
|-
| ''nekikepe'' || ''förvisning'' || ''banishment'' || from Rwizi ''nechikepe'', meaning "to sail"
|-
| ''watu'' || ''bil'' || ''car'' || from Gaullican ''voiture''
|-
| ''ue'' || ''att slå'' || ''to beat up'' || from Gaullican ''fouet'', meaning whip
|}

===Numbers===
The numbers for one and two in Western Imaguan Creole come from the {{wp|Island Carib|Imaguan}}, while all numbers from three upwards come from {{wp|Swedish language|Blostlandic}}. From ten upwards, it is organized, with the word for ''ten'', ''twenty,'' et cetera being placed prior to the number. Thus, eleven is ''tiyu-aban''. From one hundred upwards, the word ''unda'' is placed before the number, so 159 would be ''unda-hemti-niyu''. From the thousands, ''tuse'' is placed before the numbers: thus, 2019 would be ''bian-tuse-tiyu-niyu'', and so on.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Creole !! Blostlandic !! Estmerish !! Etymology
|-
| ''aban'' || ''ett'' || ''one'' || from {{wp|Island Carib language|Imaguan}} ''aban''
|-
| ''bian'' || ''två'' || ''two'' || from Imaguan ''bian''
|-
| ''tele'' || ''tre'' || ''three'' || from {{wp|Swedish language|Blostlandic}} ''tre''
|-
| ''hula'' || ''fyra'' || ''four'' || from Blostlandic ''fyra''
|-
| ''hem'' || ''fem'' || ''five'' || from Blostlandic ''fem''
|-
| ''sis'' || ''sex'' || ''six'' || from Blostlandic ''sex''
|-
| ''hu'' || ''sju'' || ''seven'' || from Blostlandic ''sju''
|-
| ''ota'' || ''åtta'' || ''eight'' || from Blostlandic ''åtta''
|-
| ''niyu'' || ''nio'' || ''nine'' || from Blostlandic ''nio''
|-
| ''tiyu'' || ''tio'' || ''ten'' || from Blostlandic ''tio''
|-
| ''huko'' || ''tjugo'' || ''twenty'' || from Blostlandic ''tjugo''
|-
| ''teti'' || ''trettio'' || ''thirty'' || from Blostlandic ''trettio''
|-
| ''oti'' || ''fyrtio'' || ''fourty'' || from Blostlandic ''fyrtio''
|-
| ''hemti'' || ''femtio'' || ''fifty'' || from Blostlandic ''femtio''
|-
| ''sisto'' || ''sextio'' || ''sixty'' || from Blostlandic ''sextio''
|-
| ''huti'' || ''sjuttio'' || ''seventy'' || from Blostlandic ''sjuttio''
|-
| ''oti'' || ''åttio'' || ''eighty'' || from Blostlandic ''åttio''
|-
| ''niti'' || ''nittio'' || ''ninety'' || from Blostlandic ''nittio''
|-
| ''unda'' || ''hundra'' || ''hundred'' || from Blostlandic ''hundra''
|-
| ''tuse'' || ''tusen'' || ''thousand'' || from Blostlandic ''tusen''
|-
| ''milyun'' || ''miljon'' || ''million'' || from Blostlandic ''miljon''
|}

===Common phrases===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Creole !! Blostlandic !! Estmerish !! Notes
|-
| ''Abet naha.'' || ''Jag jobbar här.'' || ''I work here.'' ||
|-
| ''Ba insi na.'' || ''Jag älskar dig.'' || ''I love you.'' ||
|-
| ''Bahunkik?'' || ''Är du hungrig?'' || ''Are you hungry?'' ||
|-
| ''...bapata?'' || ''Pratar du...?'' || ''Do you speak...?'' ||
|-
| ''Bo naha.'' || ''Jag bor här.'' || ''I live here.'' ||
|-
| ''Dahan...'' || ''Jag är från...'' || ''I am from...'' ||
|-
| ''Danam...'' || ''Mitt namn är...'' || ''My name is...'' ||
|-
| ''Dapata...'' || ''Jag talar...'' || ''I speak...'' ||
|-
| ''Du bama?'' || ''Hur mår du?'' || ''How are you?'' || Commonly shortened to ''Bama?''
|-
| ''Dekosta wad?'' || ''Vad kostar det?'' || ''How much is it?'' || 
|-
| ''Hodyu!'' || ''God Jul!'' || ''Merry Christmas!'' ||
|-
| ''Kalad niya!'' || ''Gott nytt år!'' || ''Happy New Year!'' ||
|-
| ''Keol nepata.'' || ''Jag talar inte kreolsk.'' || ''I do not speak creole.'' ||
|-
| ''Koti namakna.'' || ''Jag ska gå till marknaden.'' || ''I'm going to the market.'' ||
|-
| ''Kosta tiyu silingi.'' || ''Det kostar tio shilling.'' || ''It costs ten [[Arucian shilling|shillings]] ||
|-
| ''Lont a...?'' || ''Hur långt är...?'' || ''How far is...?'' ||
|-
| ''Tuka bati?'' || ''Tyckte du om din vistelse?'' || ''Did you enjoy your stay?'' ||
|-
| ''Wa bahan?'' || ''Var kommer du ifrån?'' || ''Where are you from?'' ||
|-
| ''Wa latin o?'' || ''Var är badrummet?'' || ''Where is the bathroom?'' ||
|-
| ''Wad banam?'' || ''Vad heter du?'' || ''What is your name?'' || Commonly shortened to ''Banam?''
|}

[[Category:Languages of Imagua and the Assimas]]