Suriname Languages

Description
Dutch - the only official language in Suriname. Known as Surinamese Dutch Used in education, government, business, and the media. Over 60% are native Dutch speakers and 20-30% speak Dutch as a second language.

Other languages spoken in Suriname include:
 * Sranan Tongo - a local English-based creole language. Widely used in daily life.
 * Sarnami Hindustani - also known as Sarnami or Sarnami Hindoestani - 3rd most used language

The Maroon languages of Suriname are:
 * Saramaccan
 * Ndyuka - also known as Aukan
 * Aluku
 * Paramaccan
 * Matawai
 * Kwinti

The Amerindian languages of Suriname are:
 * Akurio - also known as Akuriyó
 * Arawak - also known as Lokono or Lokono Dian or Arawak-Lokono
 * Carib - also known as Kari'nja or Carib-Kari'nja
 * Sikiana - also known as Kashuyana or Sikiana-Kashuyana
 * Tiriyó - also known as Tiro-Tiriyó
 * Waiwai
 * Warao - also known as Guarauno, Guarao, and Warrau
 * Wayana

Languages spoken near the borders of Suriname by migrants from neighboring countries are:
 * Guyanese English Creole - also known as Creolese or Gayiniiz
 * Portuguese
 * Spanish
 * French
 * French Guianese Creole
 * English

Other languages spoken in Suriname by indentured laborers include:
 * Javanese
 * Hakka
 * Cantonese
 * Mandarin

Alphabet and Pronunciation
Alphabet
 * Dutch alphabet - Omniglot

Pronunciation
 * Dutch pronunciation - Omniglot
 * Sranan pronunciation - Omniglot

Language Aids and Dictionaries
Dictionaries
 * Quist, Gerdi and Dennis Strik. Essential Dutch dictionary : Dutch-English/English-Dutch dictionary. Chicago, Ill: McGraw-Hill, 2010. Available at: WorldCat.
 * Wilner, John, Ronald Pinas, and Hertoch Linger. Sranan Tongo - English dictionary. Paramaribo, Suriname: Summer Institute of Linguistics, 1992. Available at: WorldCat.

Online Dictionaries

Language Aids
 * Sranan (Sranan Tongo) - Omniglot

Additional Resources

 * Arends, Jacques. Language and slavery : a social and linguistic history of the Suriname creoles. Amsterdam: John Benjamins Publishing Company, 2017. Available at: WorldCat.
 * Chamoreau, Claudine. A new look at language contact in Amerindian languages. München: LINCOM Europa, 2010. Available at: WorldCat.

Introduction
An exceptional variety of languages is spoken in Suriname. Dutch is the official language. It is used mainly in education, government, business and the media. Suriname became the third member of the Dutch Language Union in 2004. Dutch is spoken as a mother tongue by about 60% of the Surinamers, while most others speak it as a second or third language. In the capital Paramaribo it is the main home language in two thirds of the households. Only in the interior of Suriname is Dutch hardly known.

Recognised regional languages: Sranan Tongo, Hindi, English, Sarnami, Javanese, Malay, Bhojpuri, Hakka, Cantonese, Saramaccan, Paramaccan, Ndyuka, Kwinti, Matawai, Cariban, Arawakan Kalina

Sranan Tongo, a local creole language originally spoken by the Creole population group, is the most widely used language in the streets and often interchangeably with Dutch depending on the formality of the setting.

Surinamese Hindi, a dialect of Bhojpuri, is the third-most used language, spoken by the descendants of British Asian contract workers.

Javanese is spoken by the descendants of Javanese (Indonesian) contract workers.

The Maroon languages, somewhat intelligible with Sranan Tongo, include Saramaka, Paramakan, Ndyuka, Aukan, Kwinti and Matawai.

Amerindian languages, spoken by Amerindians, include Carib and Arawak.

Hakka Chinese and Cantonese are spoken by the descendants of the Chinese contract (koelie, coolie) workers. Mandarin is spoken by more recent Chinese immigrants. English, Spanish and Portuguese are also used.

English is used in schools and business purposes, while Spanish and Portuguese are spoken by South American residents (Portuguese for Brazilians) and their descendants and also taught in schools.

The public discourse about Suriname's languages is a part of ongoing debates about the country's national identity. While Dutch is perceived as a remnant of colonialism by some, the use of the popular Sranan became associated with nationalist politics after its public use by former dictator Dési Bouterse in the 1980s, and groups descended from runaway slaves like the Maroons resent it. Some propose to change the national language to English, so as to improve links to the Caribbean and North America, or to Spanish, as a nod to Suriname's geography.

Other Resources

 * Online Hindi language resources
 * Hindi Script
 * Hindi online dictionary
 * Hindi transliteration information
 * Hindi Romanization converter
 * Hindi basics and grammar
 * Hindi language overview