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

72,400 in São Tomé e Príncipe (2016 World Factbook). Total users in all countries: 83,000.

Location

Sao Tome province: São Tomé island generally north of Santa Cruz.

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. Most also use Portuguese [por]. Used as L2 by Angolar [aoa], Kabuverdianu [kea], 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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