Word.ws English Dictionary

decreolization

UK/diːˌkɹɪəlaɪˈzeɪʃən/

decreolization noun: the process of decreolizing.

Noun

decreolization (usually uncountable, plural decreolizations)

  1. (usually) The process of decreolizing.
    • At some point in the decreolization process, however, xenolectal structures become masked by surface-structure mimicry of the matrilect, so that the apparent degree of xenolecticity of the evolving mimolect drops below the real level, as represented by the crossover of A-B and C-D.1989, Ofelia García, Ricardo Otheguy, English across cultures, cultures across English, →ISBN, page 277
    • In the process, as substantial numbers of black speakers underwent decreolization, their decreolized speech, although technically a mimolect, would have much of the surface form and therefore social status of a true matrilect, and would itself then serve as an additional model for those speakers...1990, Edward Herman Bendix, The Uses of Linguistics - Volume 583, →ISBN, page 43

Forms of decreolization

pluraldecreolizations

Origin of decreolization

From de- + creolization.

Questions about decreolization

What does decreolization mean?
Decreolization means the process of decreolizing.
What part of speech is decreolization?
Decreolization is a noun.
How do you pronounce decreolization?
Decreolization is pronounced /diːˌkɹɪəlaɪˈzeɪʃən/ (UK).
What is the plural of decreolization?
The plural of decreolization is decreolizations.

Words near decreolization in the dictionary

  1. decreolisations
  2. decreolise
  3. decreolised
  4. decreolises
  5. decreolising
  6. decreolization
  7. decreolizations
  8. decreolize
  9. decreolized
  10. decreolizes
  11. decreolizing

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: decreolization (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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