Sãotomense

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A language of São Tomé e Príncipe

ISO 639-3
cri
Alternate Names
Forro, Santomense, Santomé, São Tomense, “O dialecto” (pej.)
Population

68,800 (2015 World Factbook). Total users in all countries: 79,400.

Location

Sao Tome Province, São Tomé island north of Santa Cruz generally.

Language Maps
Language Status

6b (Threatened). De facto language of provincial identity in São Tomé Island except south tip.

Classification
Creole, Portuguese based
Dialects

None known. Substratum largely Kwa [kwb] and Western Bantu languages; quite distinct from the creoles of Guinea-Bissau, Senegal, Gambia, and Cape Verde. Lexical similarity: 77% with Principense [pre], 62% with Fa d’Ambu [fab] (Annobonese), 70% with Angolar [aoa].

Typology

Tonal.

Language Use

The language of social identity in most São Tomé social networks for age 30 and above. Forros, the emancipated, are a distinct ethnolinguistic group from the Angolares. Also use Portuguese [por]. Used as L2 by Angolar [aoa], Principense [pre].

Language Development
Literacy rate in L2: 50% in Portuguese [por].
Language Resources
OLAC resources in and about Sãotomense
Writing

Unwritten [Qaax].

Other Comments

Tonal, although 90% of lexicon of Portuguese [por] origin.

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