Black Carib
Language Information
Black Carib (Garifuna) is spoken along the Caribbean coast of Honduras, Belize, Guatemala, and Nicaragua, and by communities in the United States, especially New York and Los Angeles.
Garifuna is an Arawakan language, despite the name "Carib," with a few Carib words. The Garifuna descend from Africans and Island Caribs of St. Vincent, who were deported by the British to the coast of Honduras in 1797. It has about 100,000 speakers, and UNESCO recognized Garifuna language, dance, and music as a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity in 2001.
Garifuna is an Arawakan language, despite the name "Carib," with a few Carib words. The Garifuna descend from Africans and Island Caribs of St. Vincent, who were deported by the British to the coast of Honduras in 1797. It has about 100,000 speakers, and UNESCO recognized Garifuna language, dance, and music as a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity in 2001.
- Language Family
- Central South American Indian
- Subgroup
- Arawakan
Black Carib Language Sample
Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 1
Garifuna
Sun gürigia nasíruati yuti lun, lidan úarani, lawiwanduní libágari kai le aubai labúsienra, gatu giñe lanagun lungua buidu hadan líbegu.English translation
All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.
Source: OHCHR translations of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights