Arawak

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A language of Suriname

ISO 639-3
arw
Alternate Names
Arowak, Lokono
Population

700 in Suriname (1980 census). Very few monolinguals. Population total all countries: 2,450. Ethnic population: 2,050 in Suriname (1980 census).

Location

Coastal area, several villages between coast and about 30 km inland, mainly on the savanna. Also in French Guiana, Guyana, Venezuela.

Language Maps
Language Status

8a (Moribund).

Classification
Maipurean, Northern, Maritime, Ta-Maipurean
Language Use

Lokono villages show a progressive loss of language (2007). Home, friends; mixed use: Religion. Older adults only. Young people no longer interested in learning the language (2007). Mixed attitudes. Daily spoken language is Sranan [srn] or Dutch [nld].

Language Development
Literacy rate in L1: Below 1%. Literacy rate in L2: 25%–50%. Dictionary. Bible portions: 1850–1978.
Language Resources
OLAC resources in and about Arawak
Writing
Latin script.

Also spoken in:

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