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San Andrés and Providencia Creole

San Andrés and Providencia Creole
Islander Creole English
Native to Colombia (San Andrés and Providencia islands)
Native speakers
(12,000 cited 1981)
English Creole
  • Atlantic
    • Western
      • San Andrés and Providencia Creole
Language codes
ISO 639-3
Glottolog sana1297
Linguasphere 52-ABB-ah

San Andrés–Providencia creole is a creole language spoken in the San Andrés and Providencia Department of Colombia by the natives (the Raizal ethnic group), very similar to Belize Kriol and Miskito Coastal Creole. Its vocabulary originates in English, but it has its own phonetics and many expressions from Spanish and African languages, particularly Kwa languages (especially Twi and Ewe), and Igbo languages. The language is also known as "San Andrés Creole", "Bende", and "Islander Creole English".

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 three languages (Creole, English and Spanish). English remained in use for liturgical purposes in Baptist churches, but the coming of satellite television and growth of foreign tourism has revived the use of English on the islands. The standard English taught in schools is British English. The presence of migrants from continental Colombia and the travel of young islanders to cities like Barranquilla, Cartagena de Indias and Bogotá for higher education, has contributed to the presence of Spanish. However, the interest in preserving the native Creole has become very important for locals and Colombians in general. There has been an effort to offer multilingual education in San Andrés and Providencia which includes all three languages.


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