| Equatoguinean Spanish | |
|---|---|
| Español ecuatoguineano | |
| Pronunciation | [espaˈɲolekwatoɣineˈano] |
Native speakers | Unknown. 1.1 million total speakers. (2010)[1] |
Early forms | |
| Latin (Spanish alphabet) | |
| Official status | |
Official language in |  Equatorial Guinea |
| Regulated by | Academia Ecuatoguineana de la Lengua Española |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | – |
| Glottolog | span1270 |
| IETF | es-GQ |
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Equatoguinean Spanish (Spanish:Español ecuatoguineano) is the variety ofSpanish spoken inEquatorial Guinea. This is the only Spanish variety that holds national official status inSub-Saharan Africa. It is regulated by theEquatoguinean Academy of the Spanish Language and is spoken by about 90% of the population, estimated at 1,170,308 for the year 2010[1] (though population figures for this country are highly dubious), all of them second-language speakers.[2] Spanish is spoken as a native language by a small minority, usually in larger cities.[3][4]
Spanish Guinea (along with the island ofBioko, formerly Fernando Pó) became aSpanish colony after being obtained from Portugal in exchange for American territories in 1778 under theFirst Treaty of San Ildefonso. Full colonization of the continental interior was not established until the end of the 19th century. The present nation of Equatorial Guinea became independent on 12 October 1968.
While the country has maintained its indigenous linguistic diversity, Spanish is the national and official language. Spanish is spoken by about 90% of the population in Bioko and coastalRío Muni and between 60% and 70% in the interior of Río Muni.[5]
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The Spanish spoken in Equatorial Guinea is influenced byBantu languages. Equatoguinean Spanish is more likePeninsular Spanish thanAmerican Spanish dialects. Here are some features of Equatoguinean Spanish:[6]
According to John Lipski, a comparison between the Spanish spoken in Equatorial Guinea andCaribbean Spanish does not hint at an influence ofAfrican languages in Caribbean Spanish, despite some earlier theories. Both varieties of Spanish are noticeably different. The main influence on the Spanish spoken in Equatorial Guinea seems to be the varieties spoken by native Spanish colonists.[7] In a different paper, however, Lipski notes that thephonotactics of African languages might have reinforced, in Caribbean Spanish, the consonant reduction that was already taking place in Spanish from Southern Spain.[8]
Spanish is spoken by part of the population of Equatorial Guinea. Spanish is the language of education and the press and is the only common language in an otherwise linguistically diverse country. However, those who speak Spanish use it as a second language, often acquired in adulthood and therefore not always in a fully native manner.