Languages_of_Guyana

Languages of Guyana

Languages of Guyana

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English is the official language of Guyana, which is the only South American country with English as the official language.[1][2]

The Umana Yana in Georgetown; the name means "Meeting place of the people" in Waiwai.

Quick Facts Official, Indigenous ...

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

  1. [1]
    Smock, Kirk (2008). Guyana: The Bradt Travel Guide. Bradt. pp. 19. ISBN 978 1 84162 223 1.
  2. [2]
    Ali, Arif (2008). Guyana. London: Hansib. ISBN 978-1-906190-10-1.
  3. [3]
    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.
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