This paper discusses the major role played by language learning processes in the birth of creole languages. The notions of pidgin, pidginization and creolization are examined in a language contact and SLA perspective. The evolution of the verbal system and of negation in the emergent French related creoles is compared with developmental sequences observed in French interlanguages.

The present article, focussing on creoles based on Romance languages, begins with a brief historical overview of existing lexicographic inventories. The second part of the contribution is dedicated to problems of creole lexicography which are partly the same as those encountered in the description of any other language. Certain specific problems of creole lexicography are due to the fact that creoles are oral languages which only recently began to develop a written code. For this reason lexicographic inventories are often meant to fix an orthography, and they reflect a stage of elaboration of technical and scientific terms which can either be borrowed from the base language or created by means of word formation from proper creole morphemes. These problems are discussed and illustrated by examples taken from recent publications.

The attitude of native speakers of Creoles with regard to written Creoles and vis-a-vis the "standardizing" efforts of linguists is an important subject which needs to be constantly re-examined. In the face of the general trend towards the standardization of Creole graphic systems, the reaction of speakers, themselves potential writers, has changed very little. The militants, for their part, would like to see all obstacles to written Creole swiftly removed in those places where Creoles writing is not in favor. Different cases involving different countries must be taken into account in order to arrive at a better understanding of the kinds of situations in which written Creole languages develop, whatever the degree to which diglossia or even various types of multilingualism may be present.

In the year 2001, the French government made the Creole languages of Guadeloupe, Guyane, Martinique and Reunion, one single "Regional Language of France". The main reason for this policy is educational and should led to results in creating one single teacher's assessment exam for that subject. Disregarding local differences, underestimating the complexity of the settling of regional linguistic norms, and blindly following the all Creole activist discourse, the French authorities launched a project that has had no significant positive results. This article leads to the conclusion that there is a need for a differentiating branch of linguistics and recommends the creation of normative commissions working in the field with a goal to implement efficient policies.