How did Mauritian Creole develop from contact among different peoples?

Mauritian Creole developed during the 18th century through contact between French colonizers and the people they enslaved, whose primary languages included Malagasy, Wolof, and various East African Bantu languages.1

While large numbers of East Indian contract laborers arrived in Mauritius during the second half of the 19th century, their influence on the language was primarily limited to vocabulary. The core structures of Mauritian Creole were already established by the time this immigration occurred.1

The language is notable for its unique features compared to other French-based creoles, such as a higher frequency of fused French articles (e.g., diri from du riz) and a distinct method of marking the plural with ban (derived from the French bande), which precedes the noun. Today, it serves as the national language and primary lingua franca of the island.1