The Dutch lexical contribution to three Asian Portuguese Creoles

The paper looks at the Dutch-derived loanwords attested in three Asian Portuguese-lexifier Creoles: Sri Lanka Portuguese Creole, Malacca Portuguese Creole, and Batavia and Tugu Portuguese Creole. The loanwords of Dutch origin identified in each of the Creoles at issue are first listed, with the proposed etyma. This is followed by an analysis of other etyma suggested, of the phonological adjustment of Dutch-derived words, and of the semantic changes some of these lexical items undergo. Also included are a comparison of the semantic fields in which Dutch loanwords are found and of their proportion in the lexicon of the three Creoles considered, as well as a discussion of the constant decrease in the use of Dutch-derived words in the modern varieties of Sri Lanka Portuguese Creole and Malacca Portuguese Creole.