Palenquero
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A language of Colombia
Alternate Names
Lengua, Palenque
User Population
500 (Holm 1989). Ethnic population: 3,500.
Location
Atlántico department: border area and 2 neighborhoods in Barranquilla; Bolivar department: San Basilio de Palenque village southeast of Cartagena.
Language Maps
Language Status
6b (Threatened).
Dialects
None known. Linguistic influences from Koongo [kng] in Democratic Republic of the Congo (Hancock 1987).
Language Use
Some young people, all adults. 10% of those under 25 speak it (1998 A. Schwegler), and younger people are increasingly learning it as L2 and marker of identity (2011 A. Schwegler). Positive attitudes. Also use Spanish [spa].
People are culturally distinct from nearby Spanish [spa] speakers. Palenque is Spanish for a fortified village of runaway slaves.