The Meaning of ‘European’: The Challenge of High-Contact Varieties for Linguistic Taxonomy ＊ Hugo Cardoso This article addresses the multiplicity of criteria involved in lingu- istic labeling, in particular with regard to the establishment of genetic taxonomies, and points out the largely extralinguistic considerations of- ten involved in the resulting classifications and terminology. The matter of genetic classification is particularly complex when dealing with high- contact varieties, as their typological traits are likely to unveil the influ- ence of a number of (often unrelated) ancestral languages. An analysis of the Portuguese-lexified creoles of Asia, in particular the Diu variety of Indo-Portuguese, not only makes it clear that applying the ‘European’ label to them is only weakly supported by typological evidence but can have detrimental consequences with respect to the languages’ social em- bedding in modern Asian societies as well as their maintenance. All these factors considered, it is suggested that linguists apply taxonomical labels only sparsely and clearly motivate their use, demonstrating sensitivity to the social echoes and possible implications of their terminology. 1. Introduction From the very early days of scientific linguistic research, efforts to 1) define the boundaries between languages and 2) classify languages in relation to each other have been high on the agenda of linguists. Sir William Jones’ 1786 proposal of the Indo-European linguistic family is 31 ＊ The research leading to this article was funded by Grant SFRH / BD / 18509 / 2004 of the Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, Portugal. I am indebted to Umberto Ansaldo, Salikoko Mufwene and a reviewer for im- portant suggestions and comments on earlier drafts, as well as their encouragement. Any possible shortcomings, however, are entirely my responsibility.