Revealing the language's delightfully simple rules, this detailed reference makes it a breeze for tourists, businessmen, and linguists to learn and speak Mauritian Creole. A pidgin French 300 years in the making and the country's "lingua franca, " the language contains no grammatical rules, verbs, or unnecessary silent letters and lacks orthography, apostrophes, and cedillas. Part phrase book, part historical and cultural analysis, this dictionary provides word origins and explanations of typical Creole expressions and idioms as well as a cheeky look at the strength of various swear words. A comprehensive guide to Mauritian gastronomy complete with descriptions of everyday Creole dishes is also included.