Palenquero facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Palenquero |
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|---|---|
| Native to | Colombia |
| Region | San Basilio de Palenque |
| Ethnicity | 7,470 (2005) |
| Native speakers | 2,788 (2005) |
| Language family |
Spanish Creole
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| Writing system | Latin (Spanish alphabet) |
| Official status | |
| Official language in | The Colombian Constitution recognizes minority languages as "official in their territories." |
| Linguasphere | 51-AAC-bc |
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Palenquero is a special language spoken in Colombia. It's a mix of Spanish and different African languages. You'll mostly hear it in the northern and Caribbean parts of Colombia, especially in villages called palenques and where people from those villages live now.
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How Palenquero Was Formed
Palenquero, like other Creole languages in the Caribbean, came about when European people and African people met. In the case of Palenquero, it started with enslaved Africans who managed to escape. These brave people were called maroons.
They moved into the mountains, sometimes with Native American people. The maroons had very little contact with their former enslavers. This meant they had to blend their African languages with the Spanish language they heard. This mix created the unique language we now call Palenquero.
African Influences in Palenquero
Palenquero has strong African influences. You can hear it in the sounds, how words are put together, and even in many of its words. The most important African languages that shaped Palenquero come from the Bantu group, especially the Kongo language.
Palenquero Words You Might Know
Many words in Palenquero come from African languages. Here are a few examples:
- burú - means silver or money
- ngombe - means cattle (like cows)
- ngubá - means peanut
- posá - means house
- tambore - means drum
- mai - means mother
- moná - means child
- ceddo - means pig
- chitiá - means to speak
A Sample of Palenquero
To give you an idea of what Palenquero sounds like, here is a part of the Lord's Prayer:
- Tatá suto lo ke ta riba sielo,
- santifikaro sendá nombre si,
- miní a reino sí, asé ño boluntá sí,
- aí tiela kumo a sielo.
- Nda suto agué pan ri to ma ría,
- peddona ma fata suto,
- asina kumo suto a se peddoná,
- lo ke se fatá suto.
- Nu rejá sujo kaí andí tentasión nu,
- librá suto ri má. Amén.
Languages Similar to Palenquero
The Cuban Creole Oriental language is quite similar to Palenquero. They even share some words! Many Spanish-based Creole languages in the Americas are similar. They all came from a mix of African and European languages.
Related pages
See also
In Spanish: Criollo palenquero para niños
