mixed language: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples

Not exactly. While both are contact languages, a creole typically develops from a pidgin (a simplified lingua franca) that becomes a native language. A mixed language arises from the blending of two fully-fledged languages within a bilingual community, often retaining complex features from both.

Yes, Michif, spoken by the Métis people in Canada and the US, is a classic example. It generally uses Cree (an Algonquian language) for verbs and verb phrases and French (a Romance language) for nouns and noun phrases.

Typically, no. 'Spanglish' usually refers to code-switching (alternating between Spanish and English) or the use of loanwords and calques. It lacks the stable, conventionalised grammatical system that defines a distinct mixed language.

They often emerge as markers of a new ethnic or cultural identity, where a community wants to signal that they are distinct from both parent language groups. They can also arise in situations of widespread bilingualism where a new, in-group language is desirable.

A noun phrase referring to a language that has developed from the prolonged contact and blending of two or more distinct languages.

Mixed language is usually formal, academic, technical in register.

Mixed language: in British English it is pronounced /mɪkst ˈlæŋ.ɡwɪdʒ/, and in American English it is pronounced /mɪkst ˈlæŋ.ɡwɪdʒ/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.