Equatoguinean Spanish
Encyclopedia
Equatoguinean Spanish is the variety of Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...

 spoken in Equatorial Guinea
Equatorial Guinea
Equatorial Guinea, officially the Republic of Equatorial Guinea where the capital Malabo is situated.Annobón is the southernmost island of Equatorial Guinea and is situated just south of the equator. Bioko island is the northernmost point of Equatorial Guinea. Between the two islands and to the...

. This is the only Spanish variety that is official in Sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa as a geographical term refers to the area of the African continent which lies south of the Sahara. A political definition of Sub-Saharan Africa, instead, covers all African countries which are fully or partially located south of the Sahara...

. It is spoken by about 90% of the population, estimated at 1,170,308 for the year 2010 (though population figures for this country are highly dubious), all of them second-language speakers.

Phonology

This is the only Spanish dialect outside Spain which resembles more Spanish from Spain
Peninsular Spanish
Peninsular Spanish, also known as European Spanish, refers to the varieties of the Spanish language spoken in the Iberian Peninsula, as opposed to the Spanish spoken in the Americas and in the Canary Islands....

 than American Spanish dialects. But there are some differences in pronunciation for those who speak it as second language. Descendants of German refugees who came to Equatorial Guinea after they were defeated in Cameroon
Cameroon
Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon , is a country in west Central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west; Chad to the northeast; the Central African Republic to the east; and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the Republic of the Congo to the south. Cameroon's coastline lies on the...

 also gave an accent to their Spanish.

See also

  • Equatoguinean literature in Spanish
    Equatoguinean literature in Spanish
    Equatorial Guinea was the only Spanish colony in Sub-Saharan Africa. During its colonial history between 1778 and 1968, it developed a tradition of literature in Spanish, unique among the countries in Africa, that persists until the present day....

  • Fernando Poo Creole English
    Fernando Poo Creole English
    Fernando Po Creole is one of the names under which the English-lexicon Creole of Bioko Island is known...

  • Krio
    Krio language
    Sierra Leone Krio is the lingua franca and the de facto national language spoken throughout the West African nation of Sierra Leone. Krio is spoken by 97% of Sierra Leone's population and unites the different ethnic groups in the country, especially in their trade and social interaction with each...

  • Pichinglis
    Pichinglis
    Pichinglis, commonly referred to by its speakers as Pichi and Fernando Poo Creole, is an Atlantic English-lexicon Creole language spoken on the island of Bioko, Equatorial Guinea Pichinglis, commonly referred to by its speakers as Pichi and Fernando Poo Creole, is an Atlantic English-lexicon Creole...

  • Bube

Comparison to the Caribbean dialect of Spanish

According to John Lipski, a comparison between the Spanish spoken in Equatorial Guinea and the Spanish spoken in the Caribbean does not hint at an influence of African languages on the Spanish spoken in the Caribbean, contrary to some earlier theories. Both varieties of Spanish are overwhelmingly different. The main influence in the Spanish spoken in Equatorial Guinea seems to be the varieties spoken by native Spanish colonizers. In a different paper, though, Lipski admits that the phonotactics of African languages might have reinforced, in the Caribbean, consonant reduction already taking place in Spanish from southern Spain.
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