Bribri | Ethnologue

A language of Costa Rica

ISO 639: bzd
Alternate Names: Talamanca
Autonym: Bribri
Population: 7,000 (2011 census). Ethnic population: 12,800 (2011 census).
Location:: Limón province: Talamanca cantón, along Lari, Telire, and Uren rivers; Puntarenas province: Buenos Aires cantón.
Language Status: 6b* (Threatened).
Classification: Chibchan, Chibchan A, Viceitic
Dialects: Salitre-Cabagra, Amubre-Katsi, Coroma. Reportedly most similar to, but unintelligible with Cabécar [cjp], Maleku Jaika [gut], and Teribe [tfr].
Typology: SOV.
Language Use: Home, commerce among themselves, church. Also use Spanish [spa], with extensive stable bilingualism.
Language Development: Literacy rate in L1: 10%. Literacy rate in L2: 70% in Spanish [spa]. Dictionary. Grammar. NT: 2007–2010.
Language Resources: OLAC resources in and about Bribri
Writing: Latin script [Latn].
Other Comments: Previously, there was an indigenous sign language used in one village by three deaf and an unknown number of hearing friends and relatives (Woodward 1991).

Location: Limón province: Talamanca cantón, along Lari, Telire, and Uren rivers; Puntarenas province: Buenos Aires cantón.