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Ethnologue > Web version > Country index > Africa > Cape Verde Islands > Kabuverdianu

Kabuverdianu

A language of Cape Verde Islands

ISO 639-3: kea

Population  394,000 in Cape Verde Islands (1998 S. Graham). 255,101 in Sotavento or 65%; 138,842 in Barlavento or 35%. Population total all countries: 954,000.
Region  Sotavento is on Santiago, Maio, Fogo, and Brava islands; Barlavento is on Santo Antão, São Vicente, São Nicolau, Sal, and Boa Vista islands. Also in France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, Mozambique, Netherlands, Portugal, Senegal, Spain, United States.
Alternate names   “Badiu” , Caboverdiano, Criol, Crioulo, Kriol, Krioulo, “Sampadjudu”
Dialects  Sotavento, Barlavento. There is a creole continuum and some decreolization. Lexical similarity: 59% with the Gulf of Guinea creoles.
Classification  Creole, Portuguese based
Language use  National language. 29% are comfortable in Portuguese, 36% uncomfortable, 34% not functional. Since independence in 1975, the domains of spoken Portuguese have receded in favor of Kabuverdianu.
Language development  Literacy rate in L2: 29% Portuguese. Radio programs. Dictionary. Grammar. Bible portions: 1936.
Comments  “Badiu” (lit. ‘idle’) and “Sampadjudu” (lit. ‘always covered with grass’) were originally applied by the Portuguese to speakers on the islands of Santiago and Santo Antão, respectively; both terms are now considered pejorative. Christian.

Entries from the SIL Bibliography about this language:

Academic Publications

Graham, Steve and Trina Graham. 2004. "West Africa lusolexed creoles word list file documentation."  Available online