domingo, 13 de mayo de 2012

Suriname


Suriname

Official Languages
Dutch is the official language in Suriname.  In Suriname 60% or more speak Dutch.  This makes it one of the two countries in South America that does not speak a Romance language. Other spoken languages include Sranan Tongo, a Creole language which involves elements from English, Portuguese, Dutch, and influences from African and Indian languages. A local creole language which was spoken originally by the creole population group, Sranan Tongo, is the most spoken language in daily communication throughout Suriname.  Other languages spoken are Hindi, Javanese, Maroon and indigenous people languages.  Around 500,000 people speak Sranan in suriname. 



History
The first colonies that arrived in Suriname were English and Dutch.  These colonies were created along the rivers throughout the country.  In 1667, the Dutch gained control of the area.  Sranan has been used since about 1700.  Suriname was a colony of the Netherlands until 1975.  This shows where the Dutch influence comes from.  The larger part of the population includes immigrants from Africa, Asia and Europe.  Due to this, there are many languages spoken in Suriname.  Dutch was enforced in the schools and remained the primary language of government starting in 1877.  The slaves that did manage to escape created many independent tribes.  Slavery was abolished in 1863 in Suriname.  Due to the history of Suriname, it is considered one of the most diverse countries in the world when it comes to ethnicity and culture.  The gained their independence on November 25, 1975. 


Interesting Facts
In the government and schools throughout Suriname, Dutch is used.  The language that was used between European, African and the Indians all used Sranan to communicate with each other.  The population of Suriname is right around 450,000 people.  The literacy rate here is 65-95%.  There is one language without any mother tongue speakers.  After taking a survey of the Sranan verbs it was found that 44% were English derived, 40% were from Dutch, 5% were from Portuguese and 2% had African origins and 9% were unknown origin.  This was a product of people trying to communicate with other immigrants and people from different places.  This resulted in modern day Sranan.  


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