Endangered Languages Project

ALSO KNOWN AS		Garifuna, Garfuna, Black Carib, Caribe, Central American Carib, "Moreno"
CLASSIFICATION		Arawakan, Northern Arawakan, Maritime
CODE AUTHORITY		ISO 639-3
LANGUAGE CODE		cab
VARIANTS & DIALECTS		Eastern Garifuna Western Garifuna. Eastern Garifuna (Honduras and Nicaragua) Western Garifuna (Guatemala and Belize).
DOWNLOAD		As csv
MORE RESOURCES		OLAC search

Compare Sources (8)

Information from: “Meso-America” (197-209) . William Adelaar and J. Diego Quesada (2007) , Christopher Moseley · London and New York: Routledge

At risk

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available
~100,000
Native speakers worldwide

OTHER LANGUAGES USED BY THE COMMUNITY
LANGUAGE CONTEXT COMMENTS: "There is a high degree of bilingualism with English-based Caribbean Creole." (2007:200)

PLACES: Honduras; Belize; Guatemala; Nicaragua

LOCATION DESCRIPTION: "Originally from the island of St. Vincent...Also spoken in Belize, Guatemala and Nicaragua. In Honduras it is spoken in the Departments of Cortés and Gracias a Dios." (2007:200)

Vulnerable

40 percent certain, based on the evidence available
195,800
Native speakers worldwide
MORE ON SPEAKER NUMBERS
98,000 in Honduras (1993).

98,000 in Honduras (Rivas 1993). Population total all countries: 195,800. 100 monolinguals (2013, unchanged).

DATE OF INFO: 1993

DOMAINS OF USE

MORE ON VITALITY

Shifting to Spanish [spa] in some villages. All domains.

SPEAKER ATTITUDE

Mostly positive

OTHER LANGUAGES USED BY THE COMMUNITY

Spanish; English

LANGUAGE CONTEXT COMMENTS

100 monolinguals. Radio programs. Dictionary. Grammar. Bible: 2002.

Scripts (Writing system)

Latin script

More on Orthography

Literacy rate in L1: 1%%-5%%. Literacy rate in L2: 5%%-15%%.

PLACES: Belize; USA; Nicaragua; Guatemala; Honduras; El Salvador

LOCATION DESCRIPTION: Mainly north coast between Masca, Cortés Department and Plaplaya; Gracias a Dios Department. 37 villages in Honduras, 46 elsewhere in Central America (plus cities La Ceiba, San Pedro Sula, Tegucigalpa, and Puerto Cortés). Also in Belize, Guatemala, Nicaragua, United States (New York City; New Orleans).

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: Mainly north coast between Masca, Cortés Department, Plaplaya; Gracias a Dios Department. 37 villages in Honduras, 46 elsewhere in Central America (plus cities La Ceiba, San Pedro Sula, Tegucigalpa, and Puerto Cortés).

At risk

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available
115,625
Native speakers worldwide
MORE ON SPEAKER NUMBERS
Belize: 14,061 (2000)
Nicaragua: no number given (critically endangered)
Guatemala: 3,564 (2002)
Honduras: 98,000 "Estimate by Rivas which appears in Ethnologue; the number of speakers in that estimate is now inaccurate."

MORE ON VITALITY

Critically endangered in Nicaragua.

PLACES: Belize; Guatemala; Honduras; Nicaragua

LOCATION DESCRIPTION: Belize: Dangriga; Stann Creek; Toledo
Guatemala: Livingston; Puerto Barrios
Honduras: Masca, Cortés department; Plaplaya; Gracias a Dios
Nicaragua: Orinoco in the Regiones Atlánticas Autónomas del Sur

Critically endangered

100 percent certain, based on the evidence available
~75,000
Native speakers worldwide
CHILDREN
<10%%
YOUNG ADULTS
~10%%
MORE ON SPEAKER NUMBERS
Ethnic population in Belize: 14,061; Honduras: ~98,000.
About 10%% of children were speakers in 1986; 90%% did not speak it; Those children are now parents. Neither they nor their children speak the language. (2007:27)

DATE OF INFO: 1986

DOMAINS OF USE

SPEAKER NUMBER TRENDS

TRANSMISSION

MORE ON VITALITY

In the district towns of Punta Gorda and Dangriga, Garifuna is rarely heard on the streets and only older people regularly use the language. (1986, so probably even less now). In the rural communities one is more likely to hear Garifuna than in the towns.

OTHER LANGUAGES USED BY THE COMMUNITY

English; Belizean Creole (Bileez Kriol)

LANGUAGE CONTEXT COMMENTS

All in Hopkins are at least bilingual.

PLACES: Honduras; Belize; Guatemala; Nicaragua; USA

LOCATION DESCRIPTION: "Spoken by Garinagu in over fifty communities" in the countries listed.
Belize: Dangriga (Stann Creek district); Punta Gorda (Toledo district); Hopkins; Seine Bight; Georgetown; and Barranco.

MORE ON VITALITY

"Although parents have stopped passing on the heritage language to their children, by the ages of twelve to fifteen these children not only start to speak Garifuna as the primary language, but to also advocate with great pride for the use and preservation of the heritage language."

SPEAKER ATTITUDE

Positive

PLACES: Honduras

LOCATION DESCRIPTION: Corozal

At risk

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available
191,974
Native speakers worldwide

Endangered

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available
203 (Guatemala)
Native speakers worldwide
MORE ON SPEAKER NUMBERS
203 speakers in Guatemala.

DATE OF INFO: 2005

PLACES: Guatemala

LOCATION DESCRIPTION: Covers a 20 square kilometer region in Guatemala.

0199255911				2005	The World Atlas of Language Structures			Bernard Comrie and David Gil and Martin Haspelmath and Matthew S. Dryer		Oxford University Press			New York				2005. "The World Atlas of Language Structures." edited by Bernard Comrie et al. Oxford University Press.																			15.6666666667,-88.0
		16		2009	Ethnologue: Languages of the World, 16th Edition (2009)			M. Paul Lewis		SIL International			Dallas, TX		http://www.ethnologue.com/		Lewis, M. Paul (ed.). 2009. Ethnologue: Languages of the World, 16 edn. http://www.ethnologue.com/home.asp. (15 February, 2011.)	ll_pub		195,800	1993	100000	98,000 in Honduras (1993). 98,000 in Honduras (Rivas 1993). Population total all countries: 195,800. 100 monolinguals (2013, unchanged).	Spanish; English	Mostly positive	100 monolinguals. Radio programs. Dictionary. Grammar. Bible: 2002.	195,700	Vulnerable (40 percent certain, based on the evidence available)		Shifting to Spanish [spa] in some villages. All domains.	11		Mainly north coast between Masca, Cortés Department, Plaplaya; Gracias a Dios Department. 37 villages in Honduras, 46 elsewhere in Central America (plus cities La Ceiba, San Pedro Sula, Tegucigalpa, and Puerto Cortés).	Belize; USA; Nicaragua; Guatemala; Honduras; El Salvador	Mainly north coast between Masca, Cortés Department and Plaplaya; Gracias a Dios Department. 37 villages in Honduras, 46 elsewhere in Central America (plus cities La Ceiba, San Pedro Sula, Tegucigalpa, and Puerto Cortés). Also in Belize, Guatemala, Nicaragua, United States (New York City; New Orleans).
			1	2009	Transnational Endangered Language Communities and the Garifuna Nation		59-79				Working Papers in Educational Linguistics (WPEL)	22		University of Pennsylvania	http://www.gse.upenn.edu/sites/gse.upenn.edu.wpel/files/archives/v22/v22n1_Ravindranath.pdf	Maya Ravindranath	Maya Ravindranath. Transnational Endangered Language Communities and the Garifuna Nation. PhD thesis, University of Pennsylvania, 2009. Online: http://www.gse.upenn.edu/sites/gse.upenn.edu.wpel/files/archives/v22/v22n1_Ravindranath.pdf.		~10%%	~75,000	1986	10000-99999	Ethnic population in Belize: 14,061; Honduras: ~98,000. About 10%% of children were speakers in 1986; 90%% did not speak it; Those children are now parents. Neither they nor their children speak the language. (2007:27)	English; Belizean Creole (Bileez Kriol)		All in Hopkins are at least bilingual.		Critically Endangered (100 percent certain, based on the evidence available)	15	In the district towns of Punta Gorda and Dangriga, Garifuna is rarely heard on the streets and only older people regularly use the language. (1986, so probably even less now). In the rural communities one is more likely to hear Garifuna than in the towns.	15	15		Honduras; Belize; Guatemala; Nicaragua; USA	"Spoken by Garinagu in over fifty communities" in the countries listed. Belize: Dangriga (Stann Creek district); Punta Gorda (Toledo district); Hopkins; Seine Bight; Georgetown; and Barranco.
				2008	Preservation strategies of the Garifuna language in the context of global economy in the village of Corozal in Honduras									University of Florida	http://udini.proquest.com/view/preservation-strategies-of-the-goid:250787574/	Santiago Jaime Ruiz Alvarez	Santiago Jaime Ruiz Alvarez. Preservation Strategies of the Garifuna Language in the Context of Global Economy in the Village of Corozal in Honduras. PhD thesis, University of Florida, 2008. Online: http://udini.proquest.com/view/preservation-strategies-of-the-goid:250787574/.								Positive					"Although parents have stopped passing on the heritage language to their children, by the ages of twelve to fifteen these children not only start to speak Garifuna as the primary language, but to also advocate with great pride for the use and preservation of the heritage language."				Honduras	Corozal
		3rd		2010	Atlas of the World’s Languages in Danger					UNESCO Publishing			Paris		http://www.unesco.org/culture/en/endangeredlanguages/atlas	Christopher Moseley (ed.)	Moseley, Christopher (ed.). 2010. Atlas of the World’s Languages in Danger, 3rd edn. http://www.unesco.org/culture/en/endangeredlanguages/atlas. (03 June, 2011.)	ll_pub		115,625		100000	Belize: 14,061 (2000) Nicaragua: no number given (critically endangered) Guatemala: 3,564 (2002) Honduras: 98,000 "Estimate by Rivas which appears in Ethnologue; the number of speakers in that estimate is now inaccurate."					At risk (20 percent certain, based on the evidence available)		Critically endangered in Nicaragua.				Belize; Guatemala; Honduras; Nicaragua	Belize: Dangriga; Stann Creek; Toledo Guatemala: Livingston; Puerto Barrios Honduras: Masca, Cortés department; Plaplaya; Gracias a Dios Nicaragua: Orinoco in the Regiones Atlánticas Autónomas del Sur	12.5666,-83.7166;15.8268, -88.7506;15.6754,-88.1476;17.1833,-88.5833
				2007	Meso-America	Encyclopedia of the World's Endangered Languages	197-209	Christopher Moseley		London and New York: Routledge						William Adelaar and J. Diego Quesada	Adelaar, William and J. Diego Quesada. 2007. "Meso-America." In Encyclopedia of the World's Endangered Languages, edited by Christopher Moseley. 197-209. London and New York: Routledge.			~100,000		100000		English-based Caribbean Creole		"There is a high degree of bilingualism with English-based Caribbean Creole." (2007:200)		At risk (20 percent certain, based on the evidence available)						Honduras; Belize; Guatemala; Nicaragua	"Originally from the island of St. Vincent...Also spoken in Belize, Guatemala and Nicaragua. In Honduras it is spoken in the Departments of Cortés and Gracias a Dios." (2007:200)
	January 23			2005	Idiomas mayas: Número de hablantes y extension territorial				data republished in several locations	Prensa Libre	Revista D				http://douglasvasquez.blogspot.com/2011/03/idiomas-mayas-numero-de-hablantes-y.html and http://www.monografias.com/trabajos-pdf2/guatemala-lenguas-mayas-desaparecer/guatemala-lenguas-mayas-desaparecer.pdf	Liliana Pellicer	Liliana Pellicer. 2005. "Idiomas Mayas: Número De Hablantes Y Extension Territorial." In Revista D, Prensa Libre. Online: http://douglasvasquez.blogspot.com/2011/03/idiomas-mayas-numero-de-hablantes-y.html and http://www.monografias.com/trabajos-pdf2/guatemala-lenguas-mayas-desaparecer/guatemala-lenguas-mayas-desaparecer.pdf.			203 (Guatemala)	2005	100-999	203 speakers in Guatemala.					Endangered (20 percent certain, based on the evidence available)						Guatemala	Covers a 20 square kilometer region in Guatemala.
					World Oral Literature Project										http://www.oralliterature.org		"World Oral Literature Project." Online: http://www.oralliterature.org.			191,974		100000						At risk (20 percent certain, based on the evidence available)

Garífuna

Language metadata

Language information by source

At risk

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

~100,000

Vulnerable

40 percent certain, based on the evidence available

195,800

At risk

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

115,625

Critically endangered

100 percent certain, based on the evidence available

~75,000

At risk

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

191,974

Endangered

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

203 (Guatemala)

Discussion

Garífuna

Language metadata

Language information by source

At risk

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

~100,000

Vulnerable

40 percent certain, based on the evidence available

195,800

At risk

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

115,625

Critically endangered

100 percent certain, based on the evidence available

~75,000

At risk

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

191,974

Endangered

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

203 (Guatemala)

Discussion

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Sources of information

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