English is the official language of Guyana, which is the only South American country with English as the official language.[1][2]
| Languages of Guyana | |
|---|---|
.jpg) 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 |
| Signed | Guyanese Sign Language, South Rupununi Sign Language |
| Keyboard layout | |
Guyanese Creole (an English-based creole with African, Indian, and Amerindian syntax) 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 is also retained in Madras identifying communities.
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
edit- ^ a b c Smock, Kirk (2008). Guyana: The Bradt Travel Guide. Bradt. pp. 19. ISBN 978 1 84162 223 1.
- ^ a b Ali, Arif (2008). Guyana. London: Hansib. ISBN 978-1-906190-10-1.
- ^ 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.