Palenquero
| Palenquero | |
|---|---|
| Native to | Colombia |
| Region | San Basilio de Palenque |
| Ethnicity | 6,637 (2018) |
Native speakers | 2,788 (2005) |
| Latin (Spanish alphabet) | |
| Official status | |
Official language in | The Colombian constitution recognizes minority languages as "official in their territories." |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | pln |
| Glottolog | pale1260 |
| ELP | Palenquero |
| Linguasphere | 51-AAC-bc |
Map highlighting Mahates municipality, where Palenque is located | |
Palenquero (sometimes spelled Palenkero) or Palenque (Palenquero: Lengua) is a Spanish-based creole language spoken in Colombia. It is believed to be a mixture of Kikongo (a language spoken in central Africa in the current countries of Congo, DRC, Gabon, and Angola, former member states of Kongo) and Spanish. However, there is not sufficient evidence to indicate that Palenquero is strictly the result of a two-language contact. It could also have absorbed elements of local indigenous languages.
Palenquero is considered to be the only surviving Spanish-based creole language in Latin America. In 2018 more than 6,600 people spoke this language.
It is primarily spoken in the village of San Basilio de Palenque, which is southeast of Cartagena, and in some neighbourhoods of Barranquilla.