Draft:Language, History, and People of Sierra Leone
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Languages,History, and People of Sierra Leone
[edit]Sierra Leone is a multilingual country. English is the official language, and Krio is the most widely spoken language among the different ethnic groups across Sierra Leone. The country was named by 15th-century Portuguese explorer Pedro de Sintra, the first European to sight and map Freetown harbor. The original Portuguese name, Serra Lyoa (“Lion Mountains”), referred to the range of hills that surrounds the harbor. The capital, Freetown, commands one of the world’s largest natural harbors. Sierra Leone attained independence on April 27, 1961, and transitioned to a republic on April 19, 1971. Since gaining independence, the country has experienced numerous changes in its socio-political and economic spheres.
The outbreak of the war in Sierra Leone caused setbacks in many areas of the country. The conflict began in March 1991 when the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) launched an insurgency from the eastern region near the Liberian border, with the aim of overthrowing the government. The Sierra Leonean army initially tried to defend the government with the support of the Military Observer Group (ECOMOG) of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), but the following year, the army itself overthrew the government. The RUF continued its offensive. On January 18, 2002, the war in Sierra Leone was officially declared over. According to the 2004 Census of Sierra Leone, the country has 18 major languages. Approximately 97% of the population spoke the Krio language, either as a native tongue or as a second or third language, as of 2005. There are around 18 ethnic groups in Sierra Leone that display similar cultural features, such as secret societies, chieftaincy, patrilineal descent, and farming techniques. The Mende, residing in the east and south, and the Temne, found in the center and northwest, constitute the two largest groups. Other significant groups include the Limba, Kuranko, Susu, Yalunka, and Loko in the north; the Kono and Kisi in the east; and the Sherbro in the southwest. Smaller groups encompass the coastal Bullom, Vai, and Krim, as well as the Fulani and Malinke, who are immigrants from Guinea concentrated in the north and east. The Creoles, descendants of liberated blacks who settled the coast from the late 18th to the mid-19th century, are primarily found in and around Freetown. Throughout the 19th century, blacks from the United States and West Indies also settled in Sierra Leone. The ethnic diversity is further enhanced by the presence of Lebanese and Indian traders in urban centers. Mende, spoken by 31% of the population as a native language, is widely used in the southern and most of the eastern parts of Sierra Leone. Temne, spoken by 32% as a mother tongue, is also widely spoken in the northern and northwestern provinces.
| Advertisement in English, Pendembu | |
| Official | English |
|---|---|
| Recognised | Krio, Mende, Temne |
| Signed | Sierra Leonean Sign Language |
| Keyboard layout | QWERTY |
Although English, as the official language, is spoken in schools, government administration and the media, Krio is spoken as a lingua franca in virtually all parts of Sierra Leone. Krio, an English-based creole language, is the mother tongue of 10.5% of the population but is spoken by 90% of Sierra Leoneans.
After the contribution made by the Bangladesh UN Peacekeeping Force in the Sierra Leone Civil War under the United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone, the government of Ahmad Tejan Kabbah declared Bengali an honorary official language in December 2002.
References
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- ^ Lewis, M. Paul, Gary F. Simons, and Charles D. Fennig (eds.). 2014. Ethnologue: Languages of the World, Seventeenth edition. Dallas, Texas: SIL International. (Page on "Sierra Leone.)
- ^ "Sierra Leone languages", Joshua Project
- ^ http://www.ethnologue.com/country/SL
- ^ http://www.language9.com/languages/translation/krio-translation.html
- ^ "Republic of Sierra Leone" (in French). Trésor de la langue française au Québec. 18 June 2009. Retrieved 14 January 2013.
- http://www.joshuaproject.net/people-profile.php?peo3=11244&rog3=SL
- Oyètádé, B. Akíntúndé; Fashole-Luke, Victor (15 February 2008). "Sierra Leone: Krio and the Quest for National Integration". Language and National Identity in Africa. Oxford: Oxford University Press. pp. 122–140. ISBN 978-0-19-928675-1.https://eprints.soas.ac.uk/181
- http://www.tlfq.ulaval.ca/axl/afrique/sierra_leone.htm(in French). Trésor de la langue française au Québec. 18 June 2009. Retrieved 14 January 2013.
- Language data for Sierra Leone https://translatorswithoutborders.org/language-data-sierra-leone/
- Sierra Leone https://www.britannica.com/place/Sierra-Leone
- About Sierra Leone | History https://unipsil.unmissions.org/about-sierra-leone-history
- Sierra Leone County Profile https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-14094194
- Sierra Leone and the American Revolution https://www.amrevmuseum.org/sierra-leone-and-the-american-revolution
- History of Sierra Leone https://sa.slembassy.gov.sl/history-of-sierra-leone/
- Sierra Leone- The World Factbook https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/sierra-leone/
- History of Sierra Leone https://oxfordre.com/africanhistory/display/10.1093/acrefore/9780190277734.001.0001/acrefore-9780190277734-e-625?p=emailAGLEXEsNk3Nf2&d=/10.1093/acrefore/9780190277734.001.0001/acrefore-9780190277734-e-625