Saamaka tongo
Saramaccan
English-based creole (mixed English/Portuguese lexicon, Akan/Gbe substrate)
Saramaccan is a maroon creole of Suriname spoken on the upper Suriname River by descendants of West African enslaved populations who escaped Dutch plantations in the 17th-18th centuries (the Saramaca treaty of 1762 secured their independence). Its mixed English/Portuguese lexicon is unusual among Atlantic creoles and reflects the Portuguese-colonized Caribbean origin of some enslaved laborers; both English and Portuguese contributions appear in basic vocabulary (e.g., "wáta" water from English, but "lúna" moon from Portuguese, "fáya" fire from Portuguese fogo). Saramaccan has gained academic prominence as a model for studying the role of substrate languages in creole genesis (Akan-Gbe substrate is highly influential, with Akan-derived tone, kinship terms, and sentence-final particles).
Where it is spoken
31 core words in Saramaccan
Water
wáta
/wáta/
Fire
fáya
/fája/
Sun
masángi
/masáŋɡi/
Moon
líba
/ˈliba/
Star
teteei
/teteːi/
Mother
mama
/mama/
Father
tata
/tata/
I
mi
/mi/
You
i
/i/
Name
nen
/nɛ̃/
Eye
ái
/ái/
Hand
mãũ
/mãũ/
Heart
hááti
/háːti/
Love
lóbi
/lóbi/
Tree
páu
/páu/
House
wósu
/wósu/
Dog
dágu
/dáɡu/
Cat
mísi
/mísi/
Eat
njá
/ɲá/
Drink
biíki
/biíki/
One
wán
/wán/
Two
tu
/tu/
Hello
kɔlɔkɔlɔ
/kɔlɔkɔlɔ/
Thank you
tángi
/táŋɡi/
Good
bunu
/bunu/
Sources
Words compared
Compared with related English-based creole (mixed English/Portuguese lexicon, Akan/Gbe substrate) languages
| Meaning | Saramaccan | Sranan Tongo | Aukan (Ndyuka) | Bislama | Krio | Nigerian Pidgin | Pijin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water | wáta /wáta/ | watra /watra/ | watra /watra/ | wota /wota/ | wata /ˈwata/ | wọtá /wɔta/ | wata /wata/ |
| Fire | fáya /fája/ | faya /faja/ | faya /faja/ | faea /faea/ | faya /ˈfaja/ | faya /faja/ | faea /faja/ |
| Sun | masángi /masáŋɡi/ | son /son/ | son /soŋ/ | san /san/ | san /san/ | sọn /sɔn/ | san /san/ |
| Moon | líba /ˈliba/ | mun /mun/ | mun /mun/ | mun /mun/ | mun /mun/ | mun /mun/ | mun /mun/ |
| Star | teteei /teteːi/ | stari /ˈstari/ | sitari /siˈtari/ | sta /sta/ | star /staː/ | star /staː/ | sta /sta/ |
| Mother | mama /mama/ | mama /mama/ | mma /mːa/ | mama /mama/ | mama /ˈmama/ | mama /mama/ | mami /mami/ |
| Father | tata /tata/ | papa /papa/ | tata /tata/ | papa /papa/ | papa /ˈpapa/ | papa /papa/ | dadi /dadi/ |
| I | mi /mi/ | mi /mi/ | mi /mi/ | mi /mi/ | mi /mi/ | A /a/ | mi /mi/ |
| You | i /i/ | yu /ju/ | yu /ju/ | yu /ju/ | yu /ju/ | you /ju/ | iu /iu/ |
| Name | nen /nɛ̃/ | nen /nɛn/ | nen /nɛn/ | nem /nem/ | nem /nɛm/ | nem /nɛm/ | nem /nem/ |
| Eye | ái /ái/ | ai /ai/ | ai /ai/ | ae /ae/ | ay /aj/ | ai /aɪ/ | ae /ae/ |
| Hand | mãũ /mãũ/ | anu /anu/ | ana /ana/ | han /han/ | an /an/ | hand /hand/ | han /han/ |
| Heart | hááti /háːti/ | ati /ati/ | ati /ati/ | bel /bel/ | at /at/ | hat /hat/ | hat /hat/ |
| Love | lóbi /lóbi/ | lobi /lobi/ | lobi /lobi/ | laekem /laekem/ | lɛk /lɛk/ | lọv /lɔv/ | lavem /lavem/ |
| Tree | páu /páu/ | bon /boŋ/ | bon /boŋ/ | tri /tri/ | tik /tik/ | tri /tɾi/ | tri /tri/ |
| House | wósu /wósu/ | oso /oso/ | osu /osu/ | haos /haos/ | os /ɔs/ | haus /haʊs/ | haos /haos/ |
| Dog | dágu /dáɡu/ | dagu /daɡu/ | dagu /daɡu/ | dog /doɡ/ | dɔg /dɔɡ/ | dọg /dɔɡ/ | dogi /doɡi/ |
| Cat | mísi /mísi/ | poesi /pusi/ | poesi /pusi/ | pusi /pusi/ | pus /pus/ | pus /pus/ | puskat /puskat/ |
| Eat | njá /ɲá/ | nyan /ɲan/ | nyan /ɲaŋ/ | kakae /kakae/ | it /it/ | chọp /tʃɔp/ | kaikai /kajkaj/ |
| Drink | biíki /biíki/ | dringi /driŋi/ | diingi /diːŋi/ | dring /driŋ/ | drink /drɪŋk/ | drink /dɾiŋk/ | dring /driŋ/ |
| One | wán /wán/ | wan /wan/ | wan /wan/ | wan /wan/ | wan /wan/ | wan /wan/ | wanfala /wanfala/ |
| Two | tu /tu/ | tu /tu/ | tu /tu/ | tu /tu/ | tu /tu/ | tu /tu/ | tu /tu/ |
| Hello | kɔlɔkɔlɔ /kɔlɔkɔlɔ/ | odi /odi/ | fa yu de /fa ju de/ | halo /halo/ | kushɛ /kuˈʃɛ/ | how far /haʊ faː/ | halo /halo/ |
| Thank you | tángi /táŋɡi/ | grantangi /ɡrantaŋi/ | gaantangi /ɡaːntaŋi/ | tangkyu /taŋkju/ | tɛnki /ˈtɛŋki/ | tenki /tɛnki/ | tagio /taɡio/ |
| Good | bunu /bunu/ | bun /bun/ | boon /boːŋ/ | gud /ɡud/ | gud /ɡud/ | fain /faɪn/ | gud /ɡud/ |
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