Costa Rica

Languages

Boruca brn

Puntarenas province: south coast between Golfito and Playa Bonita. Users: No known L1 speakers (2010 D. Castro-Garcia). 3 semi-speakers (Adelaar 2007). Ethnic population: 2,590 (2011 census). Status: 9 (Dormant). Alternate Names: Boruka, Borunca, Bronca, Brunca, Brunka, Burunca Classification: Chibchan, Chibchan A

Bribri bzd

Limón province: Talamanca cantón, along Lari, Telire, and Uren rivers; Puntarenas province: Buenos Aires cantón. Users: 7,000 (2011 census). Ethnic population: 12,800 (2011 census). Status: 6b* (Threatened). Alternate Names: Talamanca Autonym: Bribri Classification: Chibchan, Chibchan A, Viceitic

Cabécar cjp

Cartago, Limón, Puntarenas, San José provinces: Turrialba region. Users: 11,100 (2011 census). 2,000 monolinguals (2015 M. Porras). The only language in Costa Rica with monolingual speakers, mostly women (Adelaar 2007). Ethnic population: 12,700 (2011 census). Status: 6b* (Threatened). Alternate Names: Chirripó Autonym: Cabécar Classification: Chibchan, Chibchan A, Viceitic

Chinese, Yue yue

Guanacaste, Limón, Puntarenas, and San José provinces. Users: 4,500 in Costa Rica (2011 J. Leclerc). Status: Unestablished. Classification: Sino-Tibetan, Chinese

Costa Rican Sign Language csr

Scattered. Users: 15,000 in Costa Rica (2021 DBS/DOOR/SIL). Estimated 10,000–20,000 deaf signers, assuming 0.2%–0.4% of the general population; 70,700 people with hearing loss (2011 census). Status: 5 (Developing). Recognized language (2012, Ley 9049, Official Recognition of Costa Rican Sign Language). Recognized language (2020, Law 9822 Recognition and promotion of Lenguaje de Señas Costarricense (LESCO)). Alternate Names: LESCO, Lengua de Señas Costarricense, Lenguaje de Señas Costarricense Classification: Sign language, Deaf community sign language

English eng

Users: 399,500 in Costa Rica, all users. L1 users: 17,500 in Costa Rica (2021 Joshua Project). , based on ethnicity. L2 users: 382,000 (2020 census). Status: 5* (Dispersed). Classification: Indo-European, Germanic, West, English

Maléku Jaíka gut

Alajuela province: Tonjibe and Margarita reservations; northern lowlands. Users: 300 (Yasugi 2007). Ethnic population: 1,070 (2000). Status: 7 (Shifting). Recognized language (2014, Reforma del Subsistema de Educación Indígena N° 37801-MEP). Alternate Names: Guatuso, Malécu lhaíca Classification: Chibchan, Chibchan B, Votic

Ngäbere gym

Puntarenas province. Users: 2,840 in Costa Rica (2011 census). Ethnic population: 3,650 (2011 census). Status: 6b (Threatened). Alternate Names: Guaymí, Nove Classification: Chibchan, Chibchan A, Guaymiíc

Plautdietsch pdt

Heredia province: Sarapiqui area. Users: 2,000 in Costa Rica (Salminen 2007). Status: 6b* (Threatened). Alternate Names: Low German, Mennonite German Classification: Indo-European, Germanic, West, Low Saxon-Low Franconian, Low Saxon

Southwestern Caribbean English Creole jam

Limón province: East of San José, principally railroad area between Limón and Siquirres, road south of Limón. Users: 55,100 in Costa Rica (Winkler 2013). Status: 8a (Moribund). Alternate Names: Jamiekan, Limonese Creole, Limón Creole English Classification: Creole, English based, Atlantic, Western

Spanish spa

Users: 5,055,400 in Costa Rica, all users. L1 users: 5,020,000 in Costa Rica (Instituto Cervantes 2019). L2 users: 35,400 (Instituto Cervantes 2019). Status: 1 (National). Statutory national language (1949, Constitution, Article 76). Alternate Names: Castellano, Español Classification: Indo-European, Italic, Romance, Italo-Western, Western, Gallo-Iberian, Ibero-Romance, West Iberian, Castilian

Teribe tfr

Puntarenas province: near Boruca Reservation. Users: No known L1 speakers in Costa Rica. Ethnic population: 1,270 (2011 census). Status: 9 (Dormant). Alternate Names: Naso, Terraba Classification: Chibchan, Chibchan A

Yiddish, Eastern ydd

San José. Status: 7 (Shifting). Classification: Indo-European, Germanic, West, High German, Yiddish