MundoAndino Home : Colombia Guide at Mundo Andino
San Andres-Providencia Creole
San Andres-Providencia Creole is a Creole language spoken in the San Andres and Providencia Department of Colombia by the natives (the Raizal ethnic group), very similar to the Miskito Coastal Creole spoken in Bluefields, the Corn Islands and the Mosquito Coast of Nicaragua. Its vocabulary is originated in English language, but it has its own phonetics and many expressions from Spanish and African dialects of the Kwa languages among others. It is not just a dialect with different phonetics and syntax. It has its own grammar distinct from English and Spanish. The language is also known as "San Andres Creole", "Bende", and "Islander Creole English".
Characteristics
It marks the time. The auxiliar wen (~ben~men) marks a past simple.
The auxiliars beg and mek before the sentence is a polite way to ask permission or asking something.
Other auxiliar words before the verb mark probability like maita, mos and mosi; future tense like wi and wuda; obligation like fi, hafi and shuda; probability like kyan and kuda and willing like niid and waan.
There is no grammar distintion of gender.
Plural is marked with dem after the noun.
The San Andres-Providencia Creole is an official language in its territory of influence according to the Colombian Constitution of 1991 that guarantees the rights and protections of languages in the country. The population of the Archipelago of San Andres, Providencia and Santa Catalina uses the three languages . English was kept in the Baptist churches for liturgy, but the coming of satellite television and the growing of foreign tourists revived the use that language in the islands. The presence of migrants from the continental Colombia and the travel of young islanders to cities like Barranquilla, Cartagena de Indias and Bogota for superior studies, contributed to the presence of Spanish. However, the interest to preserve the Native Creole has become a very important element for locals and Colombians in general.
See also
Bajan
Bermudian English
Jamaican English
Need more information for your travel research or homework?
Ask your questions at the forum about Languages of Colombia or help others to find answers.
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article San Andres-Providencia Creole
