Languages of Belize
See language map.[See also SIL publications on the languages of Belize.]
Belize. 276,000. American Indians 11% (1991 census). National or official language: English. Literacy rate: 70%. Average years of schooling 7.53. Immigrant languages: Hindi (8,460), Japanese (200), Korean (200), North Levantine Spoken Arabic (190). Also includes Chinese. Information mainly from SIL 1973–2003. Blind population: 728 registered. Deaf population: 12,671. Deaf institutions: 1. The number of individual languages listed for Belize is 8. Of those, all are living languages.
| Belize Kriol English | [bzj]
70,000 in Belize (2006). Population total all countries: 110,000. Ethnic population: 158,000 including L2 speakers (1990). Most in Belize City; rural villages; along the coast; waterways. Also in United States.
Alternate names: Creola, Kriol, Northern Central America Creole English.
Dialects: Similar to Nicaragua Creole English [bzk], and Islander (San Andrés) [icr] creoles. Historically an extension of Nicaragua Creole English. Dahufra was a creole used in the 16th-18th centuries.
Classification: Creole, English based, Atlantic, Western
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| English | [eng]
60,000 in Belize (2006).
Classification: Indo-European, Germanic, West, English
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| Garifuna | [cab]
16,100 in Belize (2006). Dangriga, Stann Creek, and Toledo along the coast. 6 villages.
Alternate names: Black Carib, Caribe, Central American Carib, “Moreno”.
Classification: Arawakan, Maipuran, Northern Maipuran, Caribbean
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| Kekchí | [kek]
11,200 in Belize (2006). Southern Belize.
Alternate names: Cacché, Ketchí, Quecchí.
Classification: Mayan, Quichean-Mamean, Greater Quichean, Kekchi
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| Maya, Mopán | [mop]
9,200 in Belize (2006). Population total all countries: 11,800. Toledo, Stann Creek, and Cayo districts. Also in Guatemala.
Alternate names: Maya Mopán, Mopane.
Classification: Mayan, Yucatecan, Mopan-Itza
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| Maya, Yucatán | [yua]
6,000 in Belize (2006). Cayo District, San Antonio and Succoths. Possibly in Orange Walk and Corozal districts near the Mexico border.
Alternate names: Yucateco.
Classification: Mayan, Yucatecan, Yucatec-Lacandon
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| Plautdietsch | [pdt]
6,900 in Belize (2006).
Alternate names: German, Mennonite German.
Classification: Indo-European, Germanic, West, Low Saxon-Low Franconian, Low Saxon
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| Spanish | [spa]
101,000 in Belize (2006). Northern and western districts; scattered throughout the country.
Alternate names: Castellano, Español.
Classification: Indo-European, Italic, Romance, Italo-Western, Western, Gallo-Iberian, Ibero-Romance, West Iberian, Castilian
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