Is COVID-19 Transforming Speech in Mauritius?

ABSTRACT This article considers the impact of COVID-19 on speech in the island of Mauritius. In particular, I discuss the socially embedded nature of speech prior to COVID-19 and its transformation during the early months of pandemic lockdown. I propose that, in Mauritius, speech plays a key role in interethnic interaction and tension, sociality, and in the experiences of Creoles living in Mauritius. Following the government imposition of social distancing and masking during early 2020, I argue that when Mauritius was declared COVID-19 “free,” people quickly reverted to spatially proximal social behaviors. I also argue that subsequent lockdowns may be stymied by how deeply Mauritians rely on speech as means to achieve sociality and manage ethnic tension on the island.