BZJ ISO 639-3
Belize English Creole
Kriol Autonym
A language of Belize
- ISO 639
- bzj
- Alternate Names
- Belize Kriol English, Miskito Coast English Creole, Western Caribbean Creole
- Autonym
- Kriol
- Population
- 130,000 in Belize (2014 UNSD). Total users in all countries: 170,000.
- Location:
- Widespread, including communities on Ambergris and Caulker cayes.
- Language Status
- 3 (Wider communication). Brought to Belize by shipwrecked British seamen (baymen) in 1638. Lingua franca of Belize. L1 of some Garifunas, Mestizos, Maya and other ethnic groups.
- Classification
- Creole, English based, Atlantic, Western
- Dialects
- None known. Reportedly similar to Nicaragua English Creole [bzk] and Islander (San Andrés) [icr] creoles. Historically an extension of Nicaragua English Creole. There is a spectrum of varieties from standard American English usage to creole.
- Language Use
- Creoles, people of East Indian descent. Most domains. Positive attitudes. Used as L2 by Garifuna [cab], Plautdietsch [pdt].
- Language Development
- Newspapers. Radio. TV. Dictionary. Grammar. Texts. NT: 2012.
- Language Resources
- OLAC resources in and about Belize English Creole
- Writing
- Latin script [Latn].
Also Spoken in
- Language Status
- Unestablished
- Other Comments
- Non-indigenous. View other languages of United States
Language Name
Belize English Creole
User Population
40,000 in United States.
Map
Location: Widespread, including communities on Ambergris and Caulker cayes.
Size and Vitality
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