Languages of Belize
Encyclopedia
English
is the official language of Belize
, a former British colony. Although only 4 percent of the population speaks it as their first language, a majority speak English very well.
Kriol is spoken as the first language of 33 percent of Belizeans. It is an English-based Creole language
with words and syntax from various African languages
(namely Akan
, Igbo
, and Twi), Miskito
, Spanish and other languages. Belizean Kriol shares similar phonology and pronunciation with other Caribbean English Creoles. Many of its words and structures are lexically and phonologically similar to English, its superstrate language. It is considered by some linguists to be a dialect
of English, as the two are mutually intelligible. About 75 to 80 percent of the population speak some Kriol and English.
Spanish
has been spoken widely in Belize since the 1840s when Mestizo
refugees came to Belize. It is the first language of 46 percent, and is spoken very well by a majority of Belizeans.
Mayan languages
such as Kekchi, Mopan
and Yucatec are mother tongues to about 9% of the population.
Garifuna
is the first language of about 3 percent of the population. It is an Arawakan/Maipurean
-based language with elements of the Carib
, French
, English, and Spanish. In 2001, UNESCO
declared the Garifuna language, dance, and music a "Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity".
The Germanic Plautdietsch
dialect of the Mennonite
s is the first language of about 3 percent of the population.
Chinese
, Hindustani and other languages are mother tongues of about 1 percent of the population.
English is the primary language of public education, with Spanish taught in primary and secondary school as well. Bilingualism is very common. Literacy currently stands at nearly 80%.
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
is the official language of Belize
Belize
Belize is a constitutional monarchy and the northernmost country in Central America. Belize has a diverse society, comprising many cultures and languages. Even though Kriol and Spanish are spoken among the population, Belize is the only country in Central America where English is the official...
, a former British colony. Although only 4 percent of the population speaks it as their first language, a majority speak English very well.
Kriol is spoken as the first language of 33 percent of Belizeans. It is an English-based Creole language
Creole language
A creole language, or simply a creole, is a stable natural language developed from the mixing of parent languages; creoles differ from pidgins in that they have been nativized by children as their primary language, making them have features of natural languages that are normally missing from...
with words and syntax from various African languages
African languages
There are over 2100 and by some counts over 3000 languages spoken natively in Africa in several major language families:*Afro-Asiatic spread throughout the Middle East, North Africa, the Horn of Africa, and parts of the Sahel...
(namely Akan
Akan language
Akan, also known as Twi and Fante, is an Akan language that is the principal native language of Ghana, spoken over much of the southern half of that country, by about 52% of the population, and to a lesser extent across the border in eastern Côte d'Ivoire...
, Igbo
Igbo language
Igbo , or Igbo proper, is a native language of the Igbo people, an ethnic group primarily located in southeastern Nigeria. There are approximately 20 million speakers that are mostly in Nigeria and are primarily of Igbo descent. Igbo is a national language of Nigeria. It is written in the Latin...
, and Twi), Miskito
Miskito language
Miskito is a Misumalpan language spoken by the Miskito people in northeastern Nicaragua, especially in the North Atlantic Autonomous Region, and in eastern Honduras....
, Spanish and other languages. Belizean Kriol shares similar phonology and pronunciation with other Caribbean English Creoles. Many of its words and structures are lexically and phonologically similar to English, its superstrate language. It is considered by some linguists to be a dialect
Dialect
The term dialect is used in two distinct ways, even by linguists. One usage refers to a variety of a language that is a characteristic of a particular group of the language's speakers. The term is applied most often to regional speech patterns, but a dialect may also be defined by other factors,...
of English, as the two are mutually intelligible. About 75 to 80 percent of the population speak some Kriol and English.
Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
has been spoken widely in Belize since the 1840s when Mestizo
Mestizo
Mestizo is a term traditionally used in Latin America, Philippines and Spain for people of mixed European and Native American heritage or descent...
refugees came to Belize. It is the first language of 46 percent, and is spoken very well by a majority of Belizeans.
Mayan languages
Mayan languages
The Mayan languages form a language family spoken in Mesoamerica and northern Central America. Mayan languages are spoken by at least 6 million indigenous Maya, primarily in Guatemala, Mexico, Belize and Honduras...
such as Kekchi, Mopan
Mopan language
Mopan is a language that belongs to the Yucatecan branch of the Mayan languages. It is spoken by the Mopan people. It is spoken in Belize and Guatemala.The other Yucatecan languages are Yucatec, Lacandon , and Itza....
and Yucatec are mother tongues to about 9% of the population.
Garifuna
Garifuna language
Garifuna is an Arawakan language spoken in Honduras, Guatemala, and Belize by the Garifuna people. The language is also spoken to a lesser extent in Nicaragua's Mosquito Coast. Historically it was referred to as Carib or Black Carib and Igñeri by Europeans. Garifuna has a vocabulary split between...
is the first language of about 3 percent of the population. It is an Arawakan/Maipurean
Arawakan languages
Macro-Arawakan is a proposed language family of South America and the Caribbean based on the Arawakan languages. Sometimes the proposal is called Arawakan, in which case the central family is called Maipurean....
-based language with elements of the Carib
Carib language
Carib, also known as Caribe, Cariña, Galibi, Galibí, Kali'na, Kalihna, Kalinya, Galibi Carib, Maraworno and Marworno, is an Amerindian language in the Cariban language family....
, French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
, English, and Spanish. In 2001, UNESCO
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
declared the Garifuna language, dance, and music a "Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity".
The Germanic Plautdietsch
Plautdietsch
Plautdietsch, or Mennonite Low German, was originally a Low Prussian variety of East Low German, with Dutch influence, that developed in the 16th and 17th centuries in the Vistula delta area of Royal Prussia, today Polish territory. The word is another pronunciation of Plattdeutsch, or Low German...
dialect of the Mennonite
Mennonite
The Mennonites are a group of Christian Anabaptist denominations named after the Frisian Menno Simons , who, through his writings, articulated and thereby formalized the teachings of earlier Swiss founders...
s is the first language of about 3 percent of the population.
Chinese
Sinitic languages
The Sinitic languages, often called the Chinese languages or the Chinese language, are a language family frequently postulated as one of two primary branches of Sino-Tibetan...
, Hindustani and other languages are mother tongues of about 1 percent of the population.
English is the primary language of public education, with Spanish taught in primary and secondary school as well. Bilingualism is very common. Literacy currently stands at nearly 80%.
| Language | Speak Very Well | Speak Some | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| English | 54% | 26% | 80% |
| Spanish | 52% | 11% | 63% |
| Language | Native speakers | Percent |
|---|---|---|
| Spanish Spanish language Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the... |
94,422 | 46.0% |
| Kriol | 67,527 | 32.9% |
| Maya Kekchi | 10,142 | 4.9% |
| English English language English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria... |
7,946 | 3.9% |
| Garifuna Garifuna language Garifuna is an Arawakan language spoken in Honduras, Guatemala, and Belize by the Garifuna people. The language is also spoken to a lesser extent in Nicaragua's Mosquito Coast. Historically it was referred to as Carib or Black Carib and Igñeri by Europeans. Garifuna has a vocabulary split between... |
6,929 | 3.4% |
| Maya Mopan Mopan language Mopan is a language that belongs to the Yucatecan branch of the Mayan languages. It is spoken by the Mopan people. It is spoken in Belize and Guatemala.The other Yucatecan languages are Yucatec, Lacandon , and Itza.... |
6,909 | 3.4% |
| Plautdietsch Plautdietsch Plautdietsch, or Mennonite Low German, was originally a Low Prussian variety of East Low German, with Dutch influence, that developed in the 16th and 17th centuries in the Vistula delta area of Royal Prussia, today Polish territory. The word is another pronunciation of Plattdeutsch, or Low German... |
6,783 | 3.3% |
| Chinese Sinitic languages The Sinitic languages, often called the Chinese languages or the Chinese language, are a language family frequently postulated as one of two primary branches of Sino-Tibetan... |
1,607 | 0.8% |
| Maya Yucatec | 1,176 | 0.6% |
| Hindustani | 280 | 0.1% |
| Other / not stated | 1,431 | 0.7% |
See also
- Kriol peopleBelizean Kriol peopleThe Belizean Creoles, locally known as Kriols, are Creole descendants of English and Scottish log cutters, as well as Black African slaves brought to Belize. Other small minorities include Creoles and the Miskito from Nicaragua, Jamaicans, and other West Indians who assisted in the logging...
- Demographics of BelizeDemographics of BelizeThis article is about the demographic features of the population of Belize, including population density, ethnicity, education level, health of the populace, economic status, religious affiliations and other aspects of the population....
- Maya peoplesMaya peoplesThe Maya people constitute a diverse range of the Native American people of southern Mexico and northern Central America. The overarching term "Maya" is a collective designation to include the peoples of the region who share some degree of cultural and linguistic heritage; however, the term...