Field Trip to Mauritius

Itinerary for 2008 Field Trip
Itinerary for 2006 Field Trip
Itinerary for 2004 Field Trip
Bibliography on Mauritius and Mauritian Creole

On-line projects on Mauritian creole: these projects are coursework for LING3003 Linguistic Field Trip and LING2040 Languages in Contact.
Topic  Author(s)  Notes
 

Indian Languages in Mauritius

 

 Vincci Chan (2008)
 		 First field trip project to tackle questions about the Indian languages of Mauritius
 

A Comprehensive Study of Language Choice in Mauritius

 

 Amy Chow and Pecky Ng (2008)
 		 Includes census data and field trip interviews.
 

Language diglossia in Mauritius:
the prestige formation of languages and its changing under a globalizing world

 

 Anne Kwok (2008)
 		 Includes social and political perspectives on status of creole.
 

Reduplication of Mauritian Creole

 

 Mimi Li (2008)
 		 Includes interesting examples of the uses of reduplication in the creole grammar.
 

A brief study of the phonetics and grammar of Mauritian Creole

 

 Jackson Lee (2007)
 		 Includes sound recordings; contains useful hints on conducting research in Mauritius

On orthography and pronunciation of a contact language

 

 Jackson Lee (2007) Explains the LPT orthography and its correspondences with IPA 
 The Text and Music in Sega Typique and Modern Sega Fion Cheung & Jessica Wong (2007)

 

 Includes video and audio files
Mauritius and the Chinese Mauritians Lemon Lau (2006) Illustrated with numerous maps and photographs
Features major figures in Sino-Mauritian history
Kreol morisyen: Mauritian Creole by  Terence Kwong (2004)  Includes history, analysis of reduplication, several sega songs
Field trip to Mauritius by  Terence Kwong 2004)  Includes journal, photographs, reflections on the trip etc.


Location and climate: The island of Mauritius lies 20o South of the Equator, inside the Topic of Capricorn, in the southwest Indian Ocean (see map). This is a similar latitude to Hong Kong but in the southern hemisphere, so July is winter, when temperatures typically range from 24o during the day down to 16o at night. 

Currency: Mauritian Rupees (Rs) can be bought in HK but this is not convenient and one has to pay an extra fee. The exchange rate is around USD1 = Rs 28, i.e. we can expect to get about 3.4 Rupees for each HK dollar (as of June 2008). Many locations, shops and restaurants accept credit cards. The best exchange rates are achieved by using credit cards and ATM cards. There are many branches of HSBC which accept HSBC and Hang Seng Bank ATM cards from HK (charging HK$20 per withdrawal). In Flic en Flac itself there is no HSBC, but one bank at which HSBC/HSB cards can be used. As a back-up option, US or HK dollars can be changed at major banks in Mauritius and at the Thomas Cook office in Flic en Flac, but this takes time and exchange rates may be less favourable.

Budget: The fees paid by students are intended to cover:


Accomodation for 2008 will be at the Hotel Holiday Plus in Grand Bay. The beach, post office, supermarket and restaurants are 10 minutes' walk away.
Electricity is 220 volts as in HK. Various plugs are in use, including the 3-pin square type used in HK (see here for info).
Telephones are not available in the room. It is possible to bring a mobile phone and subscribe for a temporary service; to save costs, students are encouraged to share a phone.
Internet access is available at the supermarket and in internet cafes. Post offices also have one or two terminals which can be used for e-mail (with some difficulty, as the keyboards are of the French type).

Rules for students:
1. Never go anywhere alone. Consequently, if you wish to opt out of a trip somebody must be found to go/stay with you.
2. Students going/staying out after dark must be accompanied by a lecturer or tutor.

Gifts: consider bringing small items such as Chinese products or HK souvenirs as gifts for helpful Mauritians.
Ecology: Like many islands Mauritius is (or was) home to many endemic species (those found nowhere else). Since colonization many of these species have become rare or extinct due to habitat change and the introduction of 'alien' species, such as the mongoose. Most of these endemic species can be seen in the wild only in the Black River National Park, but some are kept in captivity at the Casela Bird Park near Flic en Flac. See Birds of Mauritius.

The Mauritius kestrel

Visits may include the following: *In 2006 visits to places on the East Coast such as Mahébourg and Blue Bay will be limited or avoided due to the chikungunya virus.

Topics to study:

On Mauritian creole:

Other topics:

Food: specialities include:

Shopping and souvenirs: famous products include: Please note that while supporting the economy, visitors put a strain on the small island's ecology. Some requests:

Web sites: where to surf?
Thanks to Elaine Ng and Rajesh Jeewon for many of these tips