| Languages of Belize | |
|---|---|
 Sign in English atXunantunich, with theMayan name translated into English | |
| Official | English |
| Indigenous | Q'eqchi',Mopan,Yucatec Maya |
| Vernacular | Belizean English,Belizean Spanish,Belizean Creole |
| Foreign | Spanish,German,Garifuna,Plautdietsch |
| Signed | American Sign Language |
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The major languages spoken inBelize includeEnglish,Spanish andKriol, all three spoken by more than 40% of the population.Mayan languages are also spoken in certain areas.
English is theofficial language and the primary language of public education, though spoken natively by a minority of people as a first language. Spanish is taught in primary and secondary schools as well.Bilingualism is very common. The percentage of literacy in Belize as of 2021 is 82.68% for those aged 15 or older.[1]
| Language | speakers | percentage |
|---|---|---|
| English | 278,390 | 75.5% |
| Spanish | 199,393 | 54.0% |
| Belizean Creole | 180,792 | 49.0% |
| Q'eqchi' Maya | 23,315 | 6.3% |
| Mopan Maya | 14,479 | 3.9% |
| German* | 11,294 | 3.1% |
| Garifuna | 7,481 | 2.0% |
| Yucatec Maya | 1,822 | 0.5% |
| Chinese** | 1,420 | 0.4% |
| Other languages | 3,017 | 0.8% |
*German includesPlautdietsch andStandard German
**Chinese includesCantonese andMandarin
English is the major language in the primary and most populatedBelize District, the capital district ofCayo, and southernmost district ofToledo.Spanish is the most used language in the frontier districts ofOrange Walk andCorozal.Creole is the main language in theStann Creek district.
| District | Population | English | Spanish | Creole | Q'eqchi' Mayan |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Belize District | 113,630 | 85.8% | 32.2% | 72.9% | 0.6% |
| Cayo | 99,105 | 79.8% | 69.7% | 42.6% | 2.4% |
| Orange Walk | 54,152 | 71.9% | 83.6% | 17.1% | 0.2% |
| Stann Creek | 48,162 | 64.3% | 36.5% | 71.8% | 8.2% |
| Corozal | 45,310 | 67.5% | 82.5% | 19.1% | 0.1% |
| Toledo | 37,124 | 61.3% | 24.3% | 46.0% | 49.3% |
| Total | 397,483 | 75.5% | 54.0% | 49.0% | 6.3% |
English is the official language of Belize, a former British colony. It is the primary language of public education, government and most media outlets. According to the 2008 Official Education policy in Belize, children are to be taught when it is appropriate to use Creole, but lessons are not to be taught in Creole language.[4]
When a Creole language exists alongside itslexifier language, as in Belize, acreole continuum forms between the Creole and the lexifier language. This is known ascode-switching.
In 2007 an English–Kriol dictionary was published by the Belize Kriol Project; the dictionary includes translations and grammatical descriptions.[4]
Approximately 52.9% ofBelizeans self-identify asMestizo,Latino orHispanic. Spanish is spoken as anative tongue by about 56.6% of the population,[5] and taught in schools to children who do not have it as their first language."Kitchen Spanish" is an intermediate form of Spanish mixed with Belizean Creole, and is spoken in northern towns such asCorozal andSan Pedro.[6]
Over half the population is bilingual, and a large segment ismultilingual. Being such a small andmultiethnic state surrounded bySpanish-speaking nations, multilingualism is strongly encouraged in the society.[7][8]
Belize is also home to threeMayan languages:Q’eqchi’, theendangeredindigenous Belizean language ofMopan, andYucatec Maya.[9][10][11]
Approximately 16,100 people speak theArawakan-basedGarifuna language.[12]
German is spoken inMennonite colonies and villages. The vast majority ofMennonites in Belize speaksPlautdietsch in everyday life while a minority of some 10 percent speaksPennsylvania German. Both groups use theGerman Bible translation of Martin Luther and an old fashionedStandard German in church and in reading and writing.[13]
| Official language | |
|---|---|
| Indigenous languages | |
| Non-official languages | |
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