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Languages in Honduras

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Honduras is officially referred to as the Republic of Honduras and it is a Central American country with an affluent culture and different surroundings in specific groups. Honduras was initially called Spanish Honduras so as to distinguish it from British Honduras which is now the nation of Belize. To the west, Honduras is bordered by Guatemala, El Salvador to the southwest and Nicaragua to the Southeast, The Pacific Ocean to the south at the Gulf of Fonseca, and to the north by the Gulf of Honduras which is a huge creek of the Caribbean Sea. The neighboring states and the country’s geographical position have in a way contributed to the different languages spoken in the country.

About the Honduran People, Culture and Language

Honduras was initially the habitat of many ethnic groups and Mesoamerican traditions all through its history, especially the Mayan citizens, before being overpowered by Spanish in the 16th century. The Spanish introduced the Roman Catholic faith and the Spanish dialect which is now the main language in the country together with many beliefs that have merged with the local culture. Honduras gained its independence in 1821 thus becoming a republic despite having to constantly endure a lot of societal conflicts, political insecurity which have caused the country to remain one of the poorest and extremely perilous nations in the western hemisphere.

Teacher and students in Honduras People had been living in Honduras way before the 1st century AD. The shells at Copán, which is currently a city in western Honduras, shows signs that the region was the hub of civilization by the Mayan people before they moved to the Yucatán Peninsula. The majority of the American Indians in the country are Lenca and are presently located in the southwest, close to the border of Guatemala and also to the significant Indian hubs of the pre-Columbian era. A few isolated Indian communities, that do not speak Spanish, still reside in the northeast part of the country but their numbers are dwindling over time. Some of these communities are the Paya, Jicaque, and Miskito which refers to a mosquito. A small section of the population is made up of a blend between Indian and Spanish societies. The black populace of the of West Indian ancestry, together with the Garifuna, which is the Black Caribbean populace, constitute an important section of the inhabitants of the Caribbean coast, a region where Creole English is used broadly.

Spanish is the formal language of Honduras and Catholicism is the common faith in the nation with more than 80 percent of the inhabitants practicing this religion. The largest section of the remaining population is made up of Protestants and their gatherings can be noticed in the east and on the Bay Islands as this is the region where 21st-century preaching has set its endeavors. The growth of Protestant churches has been on the rise especially after the 1998 Hurricane Mitch which led to a lot of turmoil.

There was a huge shift in the population during the 20th century as people moved from the villages to the northern coast that is warm and sultry so as to get work in the United Fruit Company. The northwest lowlands and the south and western highlands are the most populated regions in the country. There was a rapid growth in the population in the middle of the 20th century and this created a huge crisis for housing and job opportunities. The growth rate, however, dropped in the 1990s but the population was still above average worldwide. Most of the population is found in the rural areas and the people reside in tiny communities. However, almost half of the population is in the urban settlement. In the 1980s and 90s, there was a very fast growth in the urban populace, especially in Tegucigalpa, which was accompanied by congestion of accommodation, growth in the suburbs, water and air contamination, and an increase in crime. Other factors such as bad roads and the hilly woody topography in the remaining sections of the country made it be isolated even more.

The Spanish language in Honduras

In Honduras, the language used by most of the people is Spanish. There are, however, other smaller dialects spoken in the country such as Creole English and a few languages of Amerindian origin.

The Spanish spoken in Honduras has a lot of features that are similar to the Spanish used in Nicaragua and El Salvador. Honduran Spanish has had a lot of influence from quite a number of native dialects and also from the Afro-Antillean dialects and is depicted by an increase in the usage of native and slang jargon. In this dialect letters, J and S are usually removed and can, therefore, be spoken as the letter H in English. At times, these letters are not articulated.

Spanish Dialects and Variations

Honduran Spanish has a variety of tongues and differences. An example of this is the Spanish used in Tegucigalpa which is the standard Honduran Spanish. This Spanish, however, has a lot of influence from other rustic types of Spanish due arrivals into the town. The Spanish spoken in the Honduran coast in the North has established as a result of the influence from the British who settled in the nearby regions. More influence was also from the indigenous communities and Africans who were a lot in number. In most instances, Spanish in the north is only used as a second dialect.

The Spanish used in the country’s interior regions has an accent that is not quite noticeable. The letters J and S are key illustrations of that intonation.

A child in an Honduras classroom Minority Languages Spoken in Honduras

As described by the World Ethnologue, there are 10 dialects spoken in Honduras. There are a few Amerindian dialects used in Honduras and these are Garifuna, Miskito, Sumo, Pech, and Jicaque. These have been discussed in brief below.

Apart from the people who speak Spanish, and a few who converse in one of the local dialects mentioned above, about 10,000 people in Honduras also use Bay Islands English. This is the English-Creole language used in the Caribbean coast of the country. This dialect shares some characteristics with the Creole dialect in Belize.

Honduras also has a large population of Arabic people who still use Arabic as their first dialect in a number of tribes across the country. The majority of the Arabs living in Honduras are from Palestine and have completely incorporated themselves in the nation. They have also played a vital part in developing the country’s economy. At present, there are about 40,000 people who speak Arabic in Honduras.

Other tribes that migrated to Honduras such as the Armenian and the Chinese both, Cantonese and Mandarin, have sustained some sections of their dialect.

The Amerindian (Indigenous) Languages of Honduras

Hieroglyphic/Petroglyphic Staircase in Copan, Honduras Garifuna

This is an Amerindian dialect that is used broadly by the Garifuna population which is situated in the western region of the northern coastline of Central America as well as Honduras. Garifuna dialect is an affiliate of the Arawakan group of dialects. The language is, however, uncommon as it is used outside the borders of the Arawakan dialect which is restricted to areas in the north and South America. The language also comprises of words that have been borrowed from European dialects and the Carib group of dialects, which portrays a very wild past with a lot of colonization, war, and immigration.

At some point, the Garifuna dialect was restricted to the Antillean islands of St. Vincent and Dominica. The Garifuna people were, however, exiled in large masses by the British in 1797 to the northern coast of Honduras. From there, the Garifuna population and the dialect were spread along the coastline to Nicaragua on the south and to Guatemala and Belize on the north. The language is broadly used in a lot of Garifuna communities in the coast region. In the current years, a huge number of people speaking Garifuna have established themselves in a number of huge cities in the United States of America which could be as a result of the migration patterns in the north.

This language was acknowledged as a work of art of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity in the year 2008 together with Garifuna dance and music.

Miskito

This is a Misumalpan dialect used by the people of Miskito who are located in the northeast region of Nicaragua, specifically in the North Caribbean Coastal Autonomous area, and in the eastern region of Honduras.

There are about 180,000 people who speak Miskito which is the broadly used dialect among all the languages in Honduras and Nicaragua. The language is now referred to as Misumalpan. This name was established from sections of the names of the clan’s subdivisions which are Matagalpa, Sumo, and Miskito. It is, however, important to note that a few features of the interior family tree in this dialect group are unclear and it is certain that Miskito stands out from Matagalpa and Sumo which have a mutual minor node. This brings out a clear indication that Miskito initially got a lot of influence from the other Misumalpan dialects.

Sumo, which will be discussed below, is believed to have had dominance in the region before Miskito gained dominance. Today the association has changed as many people who previously used Sumo are now using Miskito which has had a lot of influence on the Sumo languages. Some of these such as Tuahka, Tawahka, and Panamahka make up the Mayangna sub-category of Sumo. Another subcategory is that of the Ulwa dialect. The Matagalpa division of Misumalpan is made up of two dialects, Matagalpa, and Cacaopera, but both of them are presently defunct. Cacaopera was initially used in some sections of eastern El Salvador.

Despite the features acquired from the various Misumalpan dialects, Miskito also has a huge number of words that have been borrowed from English through Creole. Despite Spanish being the formal dialect of Honduras and Nicaragua, the influence it has had on Miskito is very new thus very shallow.

Sumo

Sumo is also referred to as Sumu and is a general name for a family of Misumalpan dialects used in Honduras and Nicaragua. This language is categorized in a northern Mayangna family of languages that is made up of the Panamahka and Twahka languages, and southern Ulwa. A Sumo expert, Ken Hale, takes into consideration the disparities amid Mayangna and Ulwa in their morphology and jargon to make it significant to the extent that he favors talking of Ulwa as a dialect that is different from the Sumo languages in the north.

Pech

This can also be referred to as Paya and it is a Chibchan dialect used in Honduras. As per the World Ethnologue, this language was spoken by about a thousand people as of 2014. Pech is also at times referred to as Bayano and Seco and is spoken in the north- central coastal region of Honduras especially in the Dulce Nombre de Culmí town of Olancho Department.

Other regions in Honduras where Pech is spoken at times are as listed below:

  • Vallencito. This is situated 5km to the northwest region of Dulce Nombre de Culmí.
  • Marañones. This is also referred to as Pueblo Nuevo Subirana or Kahã and is located 15 km north of Dulce Nombre de Culmí.
  • El Carbón. This town was initially called Santa María del Carbón and is situated close to the Quebrada Agua Amarilla in a raised mountain gorge which is located in the Río Seco watershed. It is located approximately 35km to the north of Culmí and 30km to the northeast side of San Esteban.

Both Vallecito and Marañones are situated in the slopes of the Sierra de Agalta.

Jicaque

This dialect is also referred to as Tol and about 500 people from the Tolupan community speak it. These people are located on the La Montaña de la Flor reservation which is in the Morazán Department of Honduras. The language was also used in the Yoro Unit a number of years ago. Presently, the language is spoken by very few people in the area. People speaking this language call themselves Tolpán people. They are, however, often referred to as Turrupanes or Jicaque by Honduran people who speak Spanish.