 | You can helpexpand this article with text translated fromthe corresponding article in Dutch. (May 2025)Click [show] for important translation instructions.
|
 | This article includes a list ofgeneral references, butit lacks sufficient correspondinginline citations. Please help toimprove this article byintroducing more precise citations.(April 2015) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
| Surinamese Dutch | |
|---|---|
| Surinaams | |
| Surinaams-Nederlands | |
 Butcher signs in a Paramaribo market | |
| Pronunciation | [syːriˌnaːmsˈneːdərlɑnts] |
| Native to | Suriname |
| Region | French Guiana (Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni andCayenne),Guyana (Georgetown) |
Native speakers | 600,000 (2024)[1] |
Early forms | |
| Dutch alphabet | |
| Official status | |
Official language in | Suriname |
| Regulated by | Dutch Language Union |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | – |
| IETF | nl-SR |
| Coordinates:4°N56°W / 4°N 56°W /4; -56 | |
| This article containsIPA phonetic symbols. Without properrendering support, you may seequestion marks, boxes, or other symbols instead ofUnicode characters. For an introductory guide on IPA symbols, seeHelp:IPA. | |
| This article is a part of a series on |
| Dutch |
|---|
| Low Saxon dialects |
| West Low Franconian dialects |
| East Low Franconian dialects |
Surinamese Dutch (Surinaams-Nederlands,pronounced[syːriˌnaːmsˈneːdərlɑnts]), also known asSurinaams is the form ofDutch spoken inSuriname and is theofficial language in Suriname, a former colony ofthe Netherlands.[1] Dutch is spoken as a native language by about 80% of the population, most of them being bilingual withSranan Tongo,Hindi,Javanese, or other languages.[1]Nevertheless, Dutch is the country's sole official language. Surinamese Dutch is easilyintelligible with other forms of Dutch. Furthermore, as opposed to other languages that have different forms in the Americas (e.g.,American English vs.British English) the regulation and thus standardised spelling of the Dutch language is done through a joint Dutch–Belgian–Surinamese organization, theDutch Language Union, and thus has no regional differences regarding spelling.[2]Suriname has been an associate member of thisNederlandse Taalunie since 2004.[3]Therefore, many typical Surinamese words were added to the officialWordlist of Standard Dutch, known as "the Green Booklet" (Groene Boekje).
Surinamese Dutch is generally easily distinguishable from other standardized forms of Dutch due to the accent and someloanwords adopted fromother languages spoken in Suriname.
Dutch was introduced in what is now Suriname whenParamaribo and its environs became a Dutch colony. The remainder of Suriname, however, remained inBritish hands.[4]Only after the Dutch had lostNew Netherland (nowNew York) to the British did they in exchange receive the rest of Suriname. Then, Dutch became the language of communication betweenNative Surinamese,African slaves, and the Dutch colonial administration. In 1876, the language also became official in theSurinamese education system, and new immigrants fromBritish India and theDutch East Indies also picked up the language.[5] The immigrants also added features to spoken Dutch that are not present in the originalEuropean variants of Dutch.
In Surinamese Dutch, the voiced fricatives/v,z,ɣ/ have completely merged into the voiceless fricatives/f,s,x/.[6]
De Taalunie ontwikkelt en stimuleert beleid voor het Nederlands in Nederland, Vlaanderen en Suriname, en ondersteunt het Nederlands in de wereld.
Sinds 2004 is Suriname geassocieerd lid van de Taalunie.
