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GU

Territory of Guam

Guam

Summary

Official Name
Territory of Guam
Sovereignty Status
An unorganized, unincorporated insular area of the United States
Population
168,000
General Remarks
Geographically the southernmost of the Mariana Islands
Principal Languages
Chamorro, English
Literacy Rate
100% (Roser and Ortiz-Ospina 2018)
General References
Bender, B. 1971
Language Counts
The number of established languages listed for Guam is 4. All are living languages. Of these, 1 is indigenous and 3 are non-indigenous. Furthermore, 2 are institutional and 2 are developing. Also listed are 8 unestablished languages.

Languages

American Sign Language ase
Scattered. Users: 150 in Guam (2017 S. Kohn). Specifically, ‘45 kids and 100-plus adults who are deaf and hard of hearing’, or about 0.1% of the general population. Status: 5 (Developing). Alternate Names: ASL Classification: Sign language, Deaf community sign language
Chamorro cha
Users: 29,900 in Guam (2020). Ethnic population: 69,400 (2020). Total users in all countries: 63,900. Status: 1 (National). Statutory national language (1974, Guam Code Annotated, Chapter 7, Section 706, amended). Alternate Names: Tjamoro Autonym: Chamorru Classification: Austronesian, Malayo-Polynesian, Chamorro
Chinese zho
Users: 2,700 in Guam (2020), based on ethnicity. Status: Unestablished.
Chuukese chk
Users: 11,800 in Guam (202), based on ethnicity. Status: Unestablished. Classification: Austronesian, Malayo-Polynesian, Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian, Eastern Malayo-Polynesian, Oceanic, Central-Eastern Oceanic, Remote Oceanic, Micronesian, Micronesian Proper, Pohnpeic-Chuukic, Chuukic
English eng
Users: 73,300 in Guam, all users. L1 users: 32,300 in Guam (2020), based on ethnicity. L2 users: 41,000 (2020). Status: 1 (National). Statutory national language (1974, Guam Code Annotated, Chapter 7, Section 706, amended), dominates in administration, education and media. Classification: Indo-European, Germanic, West, English
Japanese jpn
Users: 2,500 in Guam (2020), based on ethnicity. Status: Unestablished. Classification: Japonic
Korean kor
Users: 3,700 in Guam (2020), based on ethnicity. Status: Unestablished. Classification: Koreanic
Palauan pau
Users: 2,700 in Guam (2020), based on ethnicity. Status: Unestablished. Classification: Austronesian, Malayo-Polynesian, Palauan
Pohnpeian pon
Users: 2,400 in Guam (2020), based on ethnicity. Status: Unestablished. Classification: Austronesian, Malayo-Polynesian, Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian, Eastern Malayo-Polynesian, Oceanic, Central-Eastern Oceanic, Remote Oceanic, Micronesian, Micronesian Proper, Pohnpeic-Chuukic, Pohnpeic
Spanish spa
Users: 21,700 in Guam, all users. L1 users: 1,200 in Guam (Instituto Cervantes 2019). L2 users: 20,500 (2018). Status: Unestablished. Classification: Indo-European, Italic, Romance, Italo-Western, Western, Gallo-Iberian, Ibero-Romance, West Iberian, Castilian
Tagalog tgl
Widespread. Users: 35,600 in Guam (2020). Ethnic population: 44,200 (2020). Status: 5* (Dispersed). Classification: Austronesian, Malayo-Polynesian, Greater Central Philippine, Central Philippine, Tagalog

Languages by Status

    Chamorro
    [cha] 1 (National). Statutory national language (1974, Guam Code Annotated, Chapter 7, Section 706, amended). 29,900 in Guam (2020). Ethnic population: 69,400 (2020). Total users in all countries: 63,900.
    English
    [eng] 1 (National). Statutory national language (1974, Guam Code Annotated, Chapter 7, Section 706, amended), dominates in administration, education and media. 73,300 in Guam, all users. L1 users: 32,300 in Guam (2020), based on ethnicity. L2 users: 41,000 (2020).
    Tagalog
    [tgl] 5* (Dispersed). 35,600 in Guam (2020). Ethnic population: 44,200 (2020).
    American Sign Language
    [ase] 5 (Developing). 150 in Guam (2017 S. Kohn). Specifically, ‘45 kids and 100-plus adults who are deaf and hard of hearing’, or about 0.1% of the general population.
    Chinese
    [zho] Unestablished. 2,700 in Guam (2020), based on ethnicity.
    Chuukese
    [chk] Unestablished. 11,800 in Guam (202), based on ethnicity.
    Japanese
    [jpn] Unestablished. 2,500 in Guam (2020), based on ethnicity.
    Korean
    [kor] Unestablished. 3,700 in Guam (2020), based on ethnicity.
    Palauan
    [pau] Unestablished. 2,700 in Guam (2020), based on ethnicity.
    Pohnpeian
    [pon] Unestablished. 2,400 in Guam (2020), based on ethnicity.
    Spanish
    [spa] Unestablished. 21,700 in Guam, all users. L1 users: 1,200 in Guam (Instituto Cervantes 2019). L2 users: 20,500 (2018).

Maps

  • Guam and Northern Mariana Islands

Graphs

  • Language Vitality Profile

  • Language Status Profile

Resources

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    Digest of the languages of Guam ($149.95, 21 page PDF)