Palenquero
PrintA language of Colombia
ISO 639-3
Alternate Names
Lengua, Palenque
Population
500 (Holm 1989). Ethnic population: 3,500.
Location
San Basilio de Palenque village southeast of Cartagena, and 2 neighborhoods in Barranquilla.
Language Maps
Language Status
8a (Moribund).
Classification
Dialects
Linguistic influences from Koongo [kng] in Democratic Republic of the Congo (Hancock 1987).
Language Use
10% of those under 25 speak it (1998 A. Schwegler). Most speakers are older, but younger people are increasingly learning it as L2 and marker of identity (2011 A. Schwegler). Positive attitudes. Most also use Spanish [spa].
Language Resources
People are culturally distinct from nearby Spanish [spa] speakers. Palenque is Spanish for a fortified village of runaway slaves.