GU
Territory of Guam
Guam
Summary
Official Name
Territory of Guam
Population
166,000
Principal Languages
Chamorro, English
Literacy Rate
100% (Roser and Ortiz-Ospina 2018)
General References
Bender, B. 1971
Language Counts
The number of established languages listed for Guam is 4. All are living languages. Of these, 1 is indigenous and 3 are non-indigenous. Furthermore, 2 are institutional and 2 are developing. Also listed are 4 unestablished languages.
Languages
- American Sign Language ase
- Scattered. Users: 150 in Guam (2017 S. Kohn). Specifically, ‘45 kids and 100-plus adults who are deaf and hard of hearing’, or about 0.1% of the general population. Status: 5 (Developing). Alternate Names: ASL Classification: Sign language, Deaf community sign language
- Chamorro cha
- Users: 30,300 in Guam (2015). Total users in all countries: 64,300. Status: 1 (National). Statutory national language (1974, Guam Code Annotated, Chapter 7, Section 706, amended). Alternate Names: Tjamoro Autonym: Chamorru Classification: Austronesian, Malayo-Polynesian, Chamorro
- Chinese zho
- Users: 2,600 in Guam (2015 World Factbook). Status: Unestablished.
- English eng
- Users: 163,200 in Guam, all users. L1 users: 63,200 in Guam (2013 census). L2 users: 100,000 (Crystal 2003a). Status: 1 (National). Statutory national language (1974, Guam Code Annotated, Chapter 7, Section 706, amended), dominates in administration, education and media. Classification: Indo-European, Germanic, West, English
- Japanese jpn
- Users: 2,500 in Guam (2015 World Factbook). Status: Unestablished. Classification: Japonic
- Korean kor
- Users: 3,600 in Guam (2015 World Factbook). Status: Unestablished. Classification: Koreanic
- Spanish spa
- Users: 21,700 in Guam, all users. L1 users: 1,200 in Guam (Instituto Cervantes 2019). L2 users: 20,500 (2018). Status: Unestablished. Classification: Indo-European, Italic, Romance, Italo-Western, Western, Gallo-Iberian, Ibero-Romance, West Iberian, Castilian
- Tagalog tgl
- Widespread. Users: 36,000 in Guam (2015). Status: 5* (Dispersed). Classification: Austronesian, Malayo-Polynesian, Greater Central Philippine, Central Philippine, Tagalog
Languages by Status
Chamorro
[cha] 1 (National). Statutory national language (1974, Guam Code Annotated, Chapter 7, Section 706, amended). 30,300 in Guam (2015). Total users in all countries: 64,300.
English
[eng] 1 (National). Statutory national language (1974, Guam Code Annotated, Chapter 7, Section 706, amended), dominates in administration, education and media. 163,200 in Guam, all users. L1 users: 63,200 in Guam (2013 census). L2 users: 100,000 (Crystal 2003a).
Tagalog
[tgl] 5* (Dispersed). 36,000 in Guam (2015).
American Sign Language
[ase] 5 (Developing). 150 in Guam (2017 S. Kohn). Specifically, ‘45 kids and 100-plus adults who are deaf and hard of hearing’, or about 0.1% of the general population.
Guam and Northern Mariana Islands
Language Vitality Profile
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Language Status Profile
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