Caribbean Hindustani language

Caribbean Hindustani is an Indo-Aryan language spoken as a lingua franca by Indo-Caribbeans and the Indo-Caribbean diaspora. It is based on Bhojpuri with influences from Awadhi. These were spoken by indentured laborers who came as immigrants to the Caribbean from South Asia. It is closely related to Fiji Hindi and the Hindustani spoken in Mauritius and South Africa.

Because a majority of people came from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and Rajasthan, Caribbean Hindustani is most influenced by Bhojpuri, Awadhi, Braj Bhasha, other Bihari dialects, Marwari and other Rajasthani dialects. It has a very minor influence from Tamil, Telugu, and other Dravidian languages. It has also borrowed a large number of words from Dutch in Suriname and other Dutch colonies, and English and French in former British colonies and French colonies. A large number of words, unique to Caribbean Hindustani, have been created to cater for the new environment that Indo-Caribbeans now live in.