Ndyuka language
| Ndyuka | |
|---|---|
| Aukan | |
Ndyuka written in the Afaka syllabary
|
|
| Native to | Suriname, French Guiana |
| Ethnicity | Ndyuka, Aluku, Paramaccan |
|
Native speakers
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(34,000 cited 1980–2011) |
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English Creole
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| Dialects | |
| Afaka syllabary | |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | |
| Glottolog | ndyu1242 |
| Linguasphere | 52-ABB-ay (varieties: |
Ndyuka /ənˈdʒuːkə/, also called Aukan, Okanisi, Ndyuka tongo, Aukaans, Businenge Tongo (considered by some to be pejorative), Eastern Maroon Creole, or Nenge is a creole language of Suriname, spoken by the Ndyuka people. The speakers are one of six Maroon peoples (formerly called "Bush Negroes") in the Republic of Suriname and one of the Maroon peoples in French Guiana. Most of the 25 to 30 thousand speakers live in the interior of the country, which is a part of the country covered with tropical rainforests. Ethnologue lists two related languages under the name Ndyuka.
Ndyuka is based on English vocabulary, with influence from African languages in its grammar and sounds. For example, the difference between na ("is") and ná ("isn't") is tone; words can start with consonants such as mb and ng, and some speakers use the consonants kp and gb. (For other Ndyuka speakers, these are pronounced kw and gw, respectively. For example, the word "to leave" is gwé or gbé, from English "go away".) There are also influences from Portuguese and other languages.
Modern orthography differs from an older Dutch-based orthography in substituting u for oe and y for j. The digraphs ty and dy are pronounced somewhat like the English ch and j, respectively. Tone is infrequently written, but it is required for words such as ná ("isn't"). The syllabic Afaka script was devised for Ndyuka in 1908.
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Wikipedia