Saramaccan language
Creole language of Suriname and French Guiana / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Saramaccan (Saamáka) is a creole language spoken by about 58,000 people of West African descent near the Saramacca and the upper Suriname River, as well as in Paramaribo, capital of Suriname (formerly also known as Dutch Guiana). The language also has 25,000 speakers in French Guiana and 8,000 in the Netherlands.[1] It has three main dialects. The speakers are mostly descendants of fugitive slaves who were native to West and Central Africa; they form a group called Saamacca, also spelled Saramaka.
Saramaccan | |
---|---|
Saamáka | |
Native to | Suriname, French Guiana |
Ethnicity | Saramaka |
Native speakers | 90,000 (2013)[1] |
Dialects |
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Language codes | |
ISO 639-3 | srm |
Glottolog | sara1340 |
Linguasphere | 52-ABB-ax |
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Linguists consider Saramaccan notable because its vocabulary is based on two European source languages, English (30%) and Portuguese (20%), and various West and Central African languages (50%), but it diverges considerably from all of them. The African component accounts for about 50% once ritual use is taken into account, the highest percentage in the Americas. It is derived from Niger–Congo languages of West Africa, especially Fon and other Gbe languages, as well as Akan and Central African languages such as Kikongo.[2]