Languages Of Guyana - Wikipedia

Languages of Guyana
Signs in Georgetown with text in English
Official	English
Indigenous	Akawaio, Arawak, Atorada, Carib, Macushi, Mapidian, Patamona, Pemon, Waiwai, Wapishana, Warao
Vernacular	Guyanese Creole, Caribbean English
Minority	Guyanese Hindustani
Foreign	Spanish, Portuguese, French, Dutch, Tamil, Chinese
Signed	Guyanese Sign Language, South Rupununi Sign Language
Keyboard layout	QWERTY

English is the official language of Guyana, which is the only South American country with English as the official language.[1][2]

Guyanese Creole (an English-based creole) is widely spoken in Guyana.[1]

Guyanese Hindustani is retained and spoken by some Indo-Guyanese for cultural and religious reasons. Guyanese Bhojpuri may be used by older generations, folk songs, or in a limited way at home, while standard Hindi is used in religious service, writing, and passively through the consumption of Hindi film exports from India.[3] Tamil was once spoken by a segment of the Indo-Guyanese community, although its usage has declined over generations, and it remains mostly in religious and cultural contexts.[4]

A number of Amerindian languages are also spoken by a minority of the population. These include Cariban languages such as Macushi, Akawaio and Wai-Wai; and Arawakan languages such as Arawak (or Lokono) and Wapishana.[1][2]

References

1. ^ a b c Smock, Kirk (2008). Guyana: The Bradt Travel Guide. Bradt. pp. 19. ISBN 978 1 84162 223 1.
2. ^ a b Ali, Arif (2008). Guyana. London: Hansib. ISBN 978-1-906190-10-1.
3. ^ Gambhir, Surendra K. (1983). "Diglossia in Dying Languages: A Case Study of Guyanese Bhojpuri and Standard Hindi". Anthropological Linguistics. 25 (1): 28–38. ISSN 0003-5483.
4. ^ George, Stephanie Lou (2020). "Invoking the Supernatural and the Supranational: Tappu, Trance, and Tamil Recordings in Indo-Guyanese 'Madras Religion' and the Politics of Sonic Presence" [Invoquer le surnaturel et le supranational : tappu, transe et enregistrements tamouls dans la « religion de Madras » indo-guyanaise, et politique de la présence sonore]. Civilisations. 69. Open Edition Journals: 41–56. Retrieved 7 March 2021.

External links

• Ethnologue list (map)

Authority control databases
National	United States Israel
Other	Yale LUX