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Dutch spoken in Suriname From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Surinamese Dutch (Surinaams-Nederlands, pronounced [syːriˌnaːms ˈneːdərlɑnts]), also known as Surinaams is the form of Dutch spoken in Suriname and is the official language in Suriname, a former colony of the Netherlands.[1] Dutch is spoken as a native language by about 80% of the population, most of them being bilingual with Sranan Tongo, Hindi, Javanese, and other languages.[1] Nevertheless, Dutch is the country's sole official language. Surinamese Dutch is easily intelligible with other forms of Dutch. Furthermore, as opposed to other languages that have different forms in the Americas (e.g., American English vs. British English) the regulation and thus standardised spelling of the Dutch language is done through a joint Dutch–Belgian–Surinamese organization, the Dutch Language Union, and thus has no regional differences regarding spelling.[2] Suriname has been an associate member of this Nederlandse Taalunie since 2004.[3] Therefore, many typical Surinamese words were added to the official Wordlist of Standard Dutch, known as "the Green Booklet" (Groene Boekje).
 | This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. (April 2015) |
| Surinamese Dutch | |
|---|---|
| Surinaams | |
| Surinaams-Nederlands | |
Butcher signs in a Paramaribo market | |
| Pronunciation | [syːriˌnaːms ˈneːdərlɑnts] |
| Native to | Suriname |
| Region | French Guiana (Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni and Cayenne), Guyana (Georgetown) |
Native speakers | 500,000 (2023)[1] |
Early forms | |
| Dutch alphabet | |
| Official status | |
Official language in | Suriname |
| Regulated by | Dutch Language Union |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | – |
| IETF | nl-SR |
| Coordinates: 4°N 56°W | |
Surinamese Dutch is generally easily distinguishable from other standardized forms of Dutch due to the accent and some loanwords adopted from other languages spoken in Suriname.
Dutch was introduced in what is now Suriname when Paramaribo and its environs became a Dutch colony. The remainder of Suriname, however, remained in British hands.[4] Only after the Dutch had lost New Netherland (now New York) to the British did they in exchange receive the rest of Suriname. Then, Dutch became the language of communication between Native Surinamese, African slaves, and the Dutch colonial administration. In 1876, the language also became official in the Surinamese education system, and new immigrants from British India and the Dutch East Indies also picked up the language.[5] The immigrants also added features to spoken Dutch that are not present in the original European variants of Dutch.
In Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni in French Guiana near the Suriname border, Dutch language exam subjects are taught in schools, comparable to Surinamese secondary schools. In addition, it is also taught in Cayenne, the capital of the country as a foreign language of education.
In British Guiana, the country now known as Guyana, English is currently the official language. However, the Guyanese Creole, a local variety of English-based creole language is the most widely spoken. The influence of Dutch is also still visible on the streets of the country. From 1616 to 1812, it was part of the Dutch colony. This is reflected in street names such as Vlissengen Road; family names such as Amsterdam, De Haan, Deweever, Holland, Meertens, and Westmaas; as well as fort names such as Zeelandia and Kyk-over-al; village names like Goed Fortuin, Goedland, Goed Raad, Herstelling, Nootenzuil, Ruimveldt, and Schoon Ord.[6]
In Surinamese Dutch, the voiced fricatives /v, z, ɣ/ have completely merged into the voiceless fricatives /f, s, x/.[7]
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