Caribbean Hindustani
Encyclopedia
Caribbean Hindustani is a dialect of Bhojpuri
spoken in Suriname
, Guyana
, and Trinidad and Tobago
. These three countries put an adjective before the name of the language, so that the local language variant is known for instance as "Sarnami Hindoestani" in Suriname. Most people still call the language "Hindustani".
After Dutch, Sarnami Hindustani
is the most widely spoken language of Suriname. The language is spoken by the descendants of emigrants from the current Indian states of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, they are in Suriname and the Netherlands known as the Hindoestanen
. Because the predominance of Bhojpuri speaking emigrants, the Caribbean Hindustani and Sarnami Hindoestani are most influenced by Bhojpuri and other Bihari varieties. The Hindoestanen are the largest ethnic group in Suriname, and Indian culture in general has a major role.
, also known as the Aili Gaili, is spoken only by a few older members within a community of more than 300,000 Indo-Guyanese.
The variant spoken in Trinidad and Tobago
is known as Trinidad Bhojpuri. In 1996, this was spoken by 15,633 people.
Bhojpuri language
Bhojpuri is a language spoken in parts of north-central and eastern India. It is spoken in the western part of state of Bihar, the northwestern part of Jharkhand, and the Purvanchal region of Uttar Pradesh , as well as adjoining parts of the Nepal Terai. Bhojpuri is also spoken in Guyana,...
spoken in Suriname
Suriname
Suriname , officially the Republic of Suriname , is a country in northern South America. It borders French Guiana to the east, Guyana to the west, Brazil to the south, and on the north by the Atlantic Ocean. Suriname was a former colony of the British and of the Dutch, and was previously known as...
, Guyana
Guyana
Guyana , officially the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, previously the colony of British Guiana, is a sovereign state on the northern coast of South America that is culturally part of the Anglophone Caribbean. Guyana was a former colony of the Dutch and of the British...
, and Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago is an archipelagic state in the southern Caribbean, lying just off the coast of northeastern Venezuela and south of Grenada in the Lesser Antilles...
. These three countries put an adjective before the name of the language, so that the local language variant is known for instance as "Sarnami Hindoestani" in Suriname. Most people still call the language "Hindustani".
After Dutch, Sarnami Hindustani
Hindustani language
Hindi-Urdu is an Indo-Aryan language and the lingua franca of North India and Pakistan. It is also known as Hindustani , and historically, as Hindavi or Rekhta...
is the most widely spoken language of Suriname. The language is spoken by the descendants of emigrants from the current Indian states of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, they are in Suriname and the Netherlands known as the Hindoestanen
Hindoestanen
The Hindoestanen are an ethnic group of South Asian origin in the Netherlands and Suriname. After the Dutch government signed a treaty with the United Kingdom on the recruitment of contract workers, the Hindoestanen began migrating to Suriname in 1873 from what was then British India as indentured...
. Because the predominance of Bhojpuri speaking emigrants, the Caribbean Hindustani and Sarnami Hindoestani are most influenced by Bhojpuri and other Bihari varieties. The Hindoestanen are the largest ethnic group in Suriname, and Indian culture in general has a major role.
Variants
The Caribbean Hindustani of neighboring GuyanaGuyana
Guyana , officially the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, previously the colony of British Guiana, is a sovereign state on the northern coast of South America that is culturally part of the Anglophone Caribbean. Guyana was a former colony of the Dutch and of the British...
, also known as the Aili Gaili, is spoken only by a few older members within a community of more than 300,000 Indo-Guyanese.
The variant spoken in Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago is an archipelagic state in the southern Caribbean, lying just off the coast of northeastern Venezuela and south of Grenada in the Lesser Antilles...
is known as Trinidad Bhojpuri. In 1996, this was spoken by 15,633 people.