1. the process by which a creole language gradually loses its creole characteristics and becomes more similar to its lexifier language, often through increased contact with speakers of the standard language.
Usage: linguistics; sociolinguistics

Examples

• Decreolization has been observed in several Caribbean creole communities as younger generations adopt more standard English features.
• Linguists study decreolization to understand how language contact influences the evolution of creole speech patterns.
• The decreolization of Hawaiian Pidgin English reflects the influence of mainstream American English in schools and media.
• Sociolinguists debate whether decreolization represents language change or language loss.
• Decreolization can occur over multiple generations as speakers become more integrated into the dominant language community.