San Andrés–Providencia Creole

The population of the Archipelago of San Andrés, Providencia and Santa Catalina uses three languages: Creole, English, and Spanish.^[4][5] San Andrés–Providencia Creole is an official language in its territory of influence, according to the Colombian Constitution of 1991, which guarantees the rights and protections of languages in the country.^[4] Approximately 20,000–30,000 people speak San Andrés–Providencia Creole.^[3]

San Andrés–Providencia Creole has been influenced by social and family ties with the Mosquito Coast and has in turn influenced the Central American English Creoles since the early 19th century.^[3] It retains a number of African words and phrases in common with the Nicaraguan, Belizean, and Limón creoles and with Jamaican Patois.^[6] It is closest to Belize Kriol.^[7] While many scholars often suggest a common West African pidgin as the source of most Caribbean creole languages, San Andrés Creole, in particular, may partially derive from the Jamaican Patois of the latter half of the 18th century.^[8][3] In contrast, Providence Islander Creole is less popular among the Native Islanders, who feel a stronger affinity for English.^[9]

Between 1902 and 1926, a process of forced Hispanization deprecated use of English and Creole. In 1946 and 1956, English was banned in, respectively, public and private schools. Large-scale migration from continental Colombia, where most people spoke Spanish, resulted in the creole people of San Andrés becoming marginalised.^[3] English remained in use for liturgical purposes in Baptist churches, but the coming of satellite television and the growth of foreign tourism have revived the use of English on the islands. The standard English taught in schools is British English and rarely San Andrés Creole.^[1][4]

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 have contributed to the presence of Spanish. However, the interest in preserving the Creole has become very important for locals and for Colombians in general.^[4][5][10] According to Carlos Augusto Arias, "Creole plays a symbolic role in the cohesion and identity of raizals, as the vehicle and an important piece of the cultural heritage, as well as the phenomenology of group identity."^[5]

1. It marks the time. The auxiliary wen (~ben~men) marks a past simple. Future tense is marked with wi and wuda. Progressive tense is marked by de.
2. The auxiliaries beg and mek before the sentence is a polite way to ask permission or asking something.
3. Other auxiliary words before the verb mark probability like maita, mos, mosi, kyan, and kuda; willingness with niid and waan; and obligation with fi, hafi and shuda
4. There is no grammatical distinction for gender.
5. Plural is marked with dem after the noun.

• Belizean Creole
• Caribbean English
• English-based creole languages
• Jamaican Patwah
• Miskito Coast Creole
• Spanish-based creole languages

• Bartens, Angela (2013). San Andres Creole English. In The survey of pidgin and creole languages. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-1996914-0-1.
• Washabaugh, William (1983). The Off-shore Island Creoles: Providencia, San Andres and the Caymans". In Central American English. Amsterdam: John Benjamins Publishing Company. ISBN 3-87276-295-8.