San Andrés-Providencia Creole

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San Andrés and Providencia Creole
Spoken in:	Colombia (San Andrés and Providencia islands)
Total speakers:
Language family:	Creole language English Creole Atlantic Western San Andrés and Providencia Creole
Language codes
ISO 639-1:	none
ISO 639-2:	`none`
ISO 639-3:	`icr`

San Andrés-Providencia Creole is a Creole language spoken in the San Andrés and Providencia State of Colombia by the natives (the Raizal ethnic group), Bluefields and the Mosquitos Coast. Its vocabulary is originated in English language, but it has its own phonetic and many expressions from Spanish and African dialects of the Kwa languages (Twi, Ewe and Ibi languages) among others. However, it is not just a dialect with a different phonetic and sintaxis, but it has also its own grammar, different from English and Spanish.

[edit] Some of its characteristics

It marks the time. The auxiliar wen (~ben~men) marks a past simple.
The auxiliars beg and mek before the sentence is a polite way to ask permission or asking something.
Other auxiliar words before the verb mark probability like maita, mos and mosi; future tense like wi and wuda; obligation like fi, hafi and shuda; probability like kyan and kuda and willing like niid and waan.
There is not grammar distintion of gender.
Plural is marked with dem after the noun.

The San Andrés-Providencia Creole is an official language in its territory of influence according to the Colombian Constitution of 1991 that guarantees the rights and protections of languages in the country. The population of the Archipelago of San Andres, Providencia and Santa Catalina uses the three languages (Creole, English and Spanish). English was kept in the Baptist churches for liturgy, but the coming of satellite television and the growing of foreign tourists revived the use that language in the islands. The presence of migrants from the continetal Colombia and the travel of young islanders to cities like Barranquilla, Cartagena de Indias and Bogotá for superior studies, contributed to the presence of Spanish. However, the interest to preserve the Native Creole has become a very important element for locals and Colombians in general.