The following is the entry for this language as it appeared in the 14th edition (2000).
It was superseded by the corresponding entry in the 15th edition (2005). See also the corresponding entry in the current edition of Ethnologue.
SIL code: KRI
ISO 639-2: cpe
| Population | 472,600 in Sierra Leone (1993), or 10% of the population are first language speakers (1987 Frederick Jones). Possibly 4,000,000 or 95% of the remainder are second language users (1987 F. Jones). Population total all countries 478,000 or more. |
| Region | Communities in Freetown, on the Peninsula, on the Banana Islands, York Island, in Bonthe, by de-tribalized Sierra Leoneans and as the lingua franca throughout the country. Also spoken in Gambia, Guinea, Senegal. |
| Alternate names | CREOLE, PATOIS |
| Dialects | AKU. |
| Classification | Creole, English based, Atlantic, Krio. |
| Comments | Krio and Jamaican Creole, and Krio and Sea Islands Creole may have some interintelligibility. Domains of use include education, urban and town living, every-day life. Dominant language of the younger generation. Vigorous. Spoken more in provincial towns than in villages, and for inter-ethnic communication. Possibly half the speakers use Krio in their workplace. It is the formal language for those who do not speak English. Second language users prefer their indigenous languages for informal situations. Mother tongue Krio speakers are mainly descendents of repatriated slaves from Jamaica. There is linguistic influence from Yoruba (I. Hancock 1987). Language of wider communication. Literacy rate in second language: Fewer than 15% in English. Taught as an elective from primary to college level. Traditional religion, Christian. NT 1986-1992. |
