DOI: 10.36347/sjahss.2021.v09i06.001

Pages: 201-209

This paper aims at highlighting the linguistic similarities between two languages which at first glance seem very different from each other for various reasons. These two languages are French and Hindi. There has been almost no comparative study between these two languages. The reason behind this is that there are probably very few speakers who have an adequate linguistic competence in both languages and even fewer who would think about undertaking linguistic research about how the two languages can be similar. In Mauritius, the linguistic situation is thriving thanks to its multi-racial, multi-cultural and multi-religious status. While English and French are generally accepted as the country’s official languages, the lingua-franca remains Mauritian Creole. Also, quite a few Asian languages and Arabic are taught up to secondary level in schools. Mauritians who speak French and learn Hindi at school are thus among the few privileged speakers who develop competency in these two languages and can draw parallels between the two. This paper tries to explore some very interesting similarities in terms of vocabulary, grammar and syntax that speakers of both languages can detect and future learners of these two language will be able to perceive. The findings in this paper are based upon qualitative research from data provided by speakers of all ages from the Mauritian context, who have almost equal competence in both languages.