The official language of the islands is English, although Creole is also widely spoken. Creole is a mixture of two languages, but typically with many features not inherited by the parent languages. Bahamian Creole is based heavily on English, but differs significantly in use of verbs and pronunciation. English is a West Germanic language and part of the Indo-European group of languages. It is the dominant international language in communications, science, business, aviation, entertainment and diplomacy.