The Daman and Diu Portuguese Creole, & by its speakers as meaning "home language", refers to the variety of Indo-Portuguese creole spoken in the Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu (Damaon territory), in the northern Konkan region of India. Before the Indian annexation of the territory, the creole spoken by the Damanese natives underwent a profound decreolisation in the erstwhile Portuguese Goa and Damaon colony, a phenomenon whereby the Indo-Portuguese creole reconverged with European Portuguese.

Daman Indo-Portuguese

The Daman creole is a descendant of the Norteiro creole, spoken originally by the Norteiros on the coast from Chaul, Vasai (Bassein), Bombay, to Damaon.

The superstrate language is Portuguese. The substrate of the Daman creole is likely to be Konkani. Gujarati has also been suggested as a possible substrate, but this is doubtful since the Gujarati people moved into the area only after the Portuguese arrived.

Diu Indo-Portuguese

The Diu Indo-Portuguese or Diu Portuguese is spoken in Diu district, India. It is a creole language based mainly on Portuguese and Gujarati. It is a member of the larger family of Indo-Portuguese creoles, particularly close to the variety of Daman.

Widely spoken in the past, it was first documented in the 19th century by the initiative of Hugo Schuchardt. At present, the language is spoken natively by most of the local Catholics, numbering about 180, but is potentially endangered by the pressure of other languages such as Gujarati, English and standard Portuguese.

Social Demographics of Diu Indo-Portuguese Speakers

The Roman Catholic Christian community of Diu is the only one that speaks Diu-Indo Portuguese at home and in every day activities.

While speakers of Diu Indo-Portuguese are relatively economically affluent compared to the entire population, this affluence cannot be attributed to the use of the language. Rather, there is a stronger case of the link between economic affluence and speaking Standard Portuguese. Accounting for further non-native Christian immigration suggests that the Diu Indo-Portuguese speaking population is likely on the decline since 2006.

See also

  • Kristi language
  • Portuguese in Goa and Bombay

References

;Daman

;Diu

Further reading

  • APiCS Online - Survey chapter: Diu Indo-Portuguese