The Boruca language (in Boruca: ;
also known as Bronka, Bronca, Brunca) is the native language of the
Boruca people of
Costa Rica
Costa Rica, officially the Republic of Costa Rica, is a country in Central America. It borders Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the northeast, Panama to the southeast, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, as well as Maritime bo ...
. Boruca belongs to the Isthmian branch of the
Chibchan languages
The Chibchan languages (also known as Chibchano) make up a language family indigenous to the Isthmo-Colombian Area, which extends from eastern Honduras to northern Colombia and includes populations of these countries as well as Nicaragua, Costa R ...
. Though exact speaker numbers are uncertain,
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...
’s Atlas of the World’s Languages in Danger has listed Boruca as "critically endangered".
It was spoken fluently by only five women in 1986, while 30 to 35 others spoke it non-fluently. The rest of the tribe's 1,000 members speak
Spanish
Spanish might refer to:
* Items from or related to Spain:
**Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain
**Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas
**Spanish cuisine
**Spanish history
**Spanish culture
...
.
Boruca is taught as a second language at the local primary school Escuela Doris Z. Stone. One can hear Bronka words and phrases mixed into Spanish conversations but it is extremely rare to hear prolonged exchanges in Bronka.
Grammar
The personal pronouns in Boruca (the ᵛ represents a glottal stop.)
The numbers (the "n̈", "n" with the
diaeresis "¨" on top may be unavailable in some fonts, it represents a slightly different sound from the normal n or ñ.)
Greetings
: 'What's up?'
: 'Fine, well.'
See also
*
Brunca Sign Language
External links
Map of Boruca
References
Bibliography
*
Chibchan languages
Languages of Costa Rica
Endangered Chibchan languages
{{CostaRica-stub