444,000 (1995); ethnic groups: Creole 240,690 or 71% of population, African 94,920 or 28% (1990 WA). Republic of Cape Verde. República de Cabo Verde. Literacy rate 37% to 70%, 41.5% (1977 C. M. Brann). Information mainly from J. V. Powell ABS 1968. Data accuracy estimate: B. Christian, secular. The number of languages listed for Cape Verde Islands is 2.
CRIOULO, UPPER GUINEA (PORTUGUESE CREOLE) [POV] 300,000 in Cape Verde Islands (1989 J. Holm), 70% of the population; 55,000 in Senegal (1991); 100,000 in Guinea Bissau (1991 UBS); 12,000 in Netherlands; 455,000 in all countries. There may be speakers among the 150,000 Cape Verdeans in New England, USA (A. Caskey). Also in Gambia. Creole, Portuguese based. Dialect: BRAVA ISLAND CREOLE (CABOVERDIAN CREOLE). There is a creole continuum and some decreolization. Intelligible with varieties of Guinea Bissau, Senegal, and Gambia. 37% literate in Portuguese. Since independence in 1975, the domains of spoken Portuguese have receded in favor of Creole. Bible in press (1996). NT 1989. Bible portions 1979.
PORTUGUESE [POR] 170,000,000 in all countries (1995 WA). Indo-European, Italic, Romance, Italo-Western, Western, Ibero-Romance, North, Western. National language. Bible 1751, in press (1993). NT 1681-1982. Bible portions 1505-1951.
Part of the Ethnologue, 13th Edition, Barbara F. Grimes, Editor.
Copyright © 1996, Summer Institute of Linguistics, Inc. All rights reserved.
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