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''[[Africa]] [[Image:Gotoarrow.png|go to]] [[Sierra Leone Genealogy|Sierra Leone]]''
{{CountrySidebar
|Country=Sierra Leone
|Name=Sierra Leone
|Type=Topic
|Topic Type=Background
|Background=Languages
|Rating=Standardized
}}{{breadcrumb
| link1=[[Sierra Leone Genealogy|Sierra Leone]]
| link2=
| link3=
| link4=
| link5=[[Sierra Leone Languages|Languages]]
}}


{{Sierra Leone-sidebar}}
==Description==
Sierra Leone is a multilingual country. '''English''' is the de facto official language, and '''Krio''' is the most widely spoken. Although English, as the official language, is spoken in schools, government administration and the media, Krio is spoken as a lingua franca in virtually all parts of Sierra Leone. <ref>Wikipedia contributors, "Languages of Sierra Leone," in ''Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia'', https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Languages_of_Sierra_Leone, accessed 10 March 2021.</ref>.  Approximately 97% of the 7.4 million citizens in the country speak the Krio language (either natively or as a second or third language) which evolved from English Creole. Krio provides a mutual method of communication between the various tribes and ethnic groups within Sierra Leone. There are approximately 23 languages that exist in Sierra Leone, but some are in danger of going extinct due to Krio being used the most.


The official language of Sierra Leone is English. Records from the colonial period  subsequently are written in this language. Krio (Creole), Mende, Limba, and Temne are also spoken.<ref name="profile">The Family History Department of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, “Family History Record Profile: Sierra Leone,” Word document, private files of the FamilySearch Content Strategy Team, 2001.</ref>
Sierra Leone Krio is the lingua franca and the de facto national language spoken throughout the West African nation of Sierra Leone. Krio is the native language for some 300,000 Krios—the descendants of slaves from the West Indies, United States and Britain, who overwhelmingly live in Freetown.  Krio is an English-based creole, but is closer to being a fully-fledged language, as it has fixed grammatical structures and rules. Most of its vocabulary comes from English, but its sound system and grammar are closer to that of nearby African languages, in particular Yoruba. [https://wikitravel.org/en/Krio_phrasebook ('''Krio Phrasebook''')]
<br>
<br>
Other languages found in Sierra Leone include: <ref>Wikipedia contributors, "Languages of Sierra Leone," in ''Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia'', https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Languages_of_Sierra_Leone, accessed DATE.</ref>
* '''Mende''' - spoken by 31% of the population <ref>Wikipedia contributors, "Mende language," in ''Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia'', https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mende_language, accessed 21 March 2021.</ref>
* '''Temme''' - spoken by 37% <ref>Wikipedia contributors, "Temne language," in ''Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia'', https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Temne_language, accessed 21 March 2021.</ref>
* '''Kono''' <ref>Wikipedia contributors, "Kono language," in ''Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia'', https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kono_language_(Sierra_Leone), accessed 21 March 2021.</ref>
* '''Kissi''' <ref>Wikipedia contributors, "Kissi language," in ''Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia'', https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kissi_language, accessed 21 March 2021.</ref>
* '''Kuranko''' <ref>Wikipedia contributors, "Kuranko language," in ''Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia'', https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kuranko_language, accessed 21 March 2021.</ref>
* '''Limba''' <ref>Wikipedia contributors, "Limba language," in ''Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia'', https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Limba_language, accessed 21 March 2021.</ref>
* '''Fula (Pular)''' <ref>Wikipedia contributors, "Fula language," in ''Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia'', https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fula_language, accessed 21 March 2021.</ref> <ref>Wikipedia contributors, "Pular language," in ''Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia'', https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pular_language, accessed 21 March 2021.</ref>
* '''Mandingo''' <ref>Wikipedia contributors, "Mandinka language," in ''Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia'', https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mandinka_language, accessed 21 March 2021.</ref>
* '''Susu''' <ref>Wikipedia contributors, "Susu language," in ''Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia'', https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Susu_language, accessed 21 March 2021.</ref>
 
==Word List(s)==
* [https://wikitravel.org/en/Krio_phrasebook#Phrase_list Phrase List (Krio phrasebook)]
 
{|class="wikitable"
!Krio word <ref>Wikipedia contributors, "Krio language," in ''Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia'', https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Krio_language, accessed 10 March 2021.</ref>!!English meaning
|-
| Salone ||Sierra Leone
|-
|Kushɛh||Hello, Hi
|-
| Padi||Friend
|-
| Titi||Girl
|-
|Bɔbɔ||Boy
|-
|Pikin||Child
|-
|Wɔwɔh ||Ugly
|-
|Plabah||Conflict
|-
| bɔku ||Many, Too much
|-
|Uman||Woman
|-
|Lef||Stop
|-
| Wetin ||What
|-
| Usay ||Where
|-
| Wetin Mek ||Why
|-
| Ustɛm ||When
|-
| Vɛx ||Angry
|-
| Dia||Expensive
|-
| Waka||Walk
|-
| Cham||Chew
|-
|Motocar||Car
|-
| Sabi||Know
|-
| Fεt||Fight
|-
|Wεf||Wife
|-
|Lεf||Stop
|-
| Mama||Mother
|-
|Papa||Father
|-
|Granny||Grandmother
|-
|Grandpa||Grandfather
|-
|tif||Steal
|-
| Jomp||Jump
|}
 
==Alphabet and Pronunciation==
Krio uses the Latin script but without Qq and Xx and with three additional letters from the African reference alphabet, Ɛɛ (open E), Ŋŋ (eng), and Ɔɔ (open O). Three tones can be distinguished in Krio and are sometimes marked with grave (à), acute (á), and circumflex (â) accents over the vowels for low, high, and falling tones respectively but these accents are not employed in normal usage. <ref>Wikipedia contributors, "Krio language," in ''Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia'', https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Krio_language, accessed 10 March 2021.</ref>
 
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Krio letter or digraph
! Example word
! English meaning
|-
| <span style="font-size:125%;">A,a </span>
| watar
| water
|-
| <span style="font-size:125%;">Aw, aw </span>
|naw (nau)
|now
|-
| <span style="font-size:125%;">Ay, ay </span>
|na im
|that's him
|-
| <span style="font-size:125%;">B, b </span>
|bòku (bohku)
|many, very much (< [[French language|French]] ''beaucoup'')
|-
| <span style="font-size:125%;">Ch, ch </span>
|cham
|chew
|-
| <span style="font-size:125%;">D, d </span>
|diar (dya)
|expensive (< dear)
|-
| <span style="font-size:125%;">E, e </span>
|let (leyt)
|late
|-
| <span style="font-size:125%;">Ɛ, ɛ</span>
|hèp (ep)
|help
|-
| <span style="font-size:125%;">F, f </span>
|fùrs (fohs)
|first
|-
| <span style="font-size:125%;">G, g </span>
|got(goat)
|goat
|-
| <span style="font-size:125%;">Gb, gb </span>
|gbana/tranga
|difficult (from [[Temne language|Temne]])
|-
| <span style="font-size:125%;">H, h </span>
|argyu/argyumènt (agyu/agyument)
|argument
|-
| <span style="font-size:125%;">I, i </span>
|titi
|girl
|-
| <span style="font-size:125%;">J, j </span>
|jomp
|jump
|-
| <span style="font-size:125%;">K, k </span>
|kòntry (kohntri)
|country
|-
| <span style="font-size:125%;">Kp, kp </span>
|kpatakpata
|completely
|-
| <span style="font-size:125%;">L, l </span>
|liv
|live
|-
| <span style="font-size:125%;">M, m </span>
|muf/muv
|move
|-
| <span style="font-size:125%;">N, n </span>
|nak
|knock
|-
| <span style="font-size:125%;">Ny, ny </span>
|niu
|new
|-
| <span style="font-size:125%;">Ŋ, ŋ </span>
|siŋ (sing)
|sing
|-
| <span style="font-size:125%;">O, o </span>
|work
|work
|-
| <span style="font-size:125%;">Ɔ, ɔ </span>
|bòrn (bohn)
|born, give birth, conceive
|-
| <span style="font-size:125%;">Ɔy, ɔy</span>
|òil (ohyl)
|oil
|-
| <span style="font-size:125%;">P, p </span>
|padi
|friend
|-
| <span style="font-size:125%;">R, r </span>
|ren (reyn)
|rain
|-
| <span style="font-size:125%;">S, s </span>
|saf
|soft
|-
| <span style="font-size:125%;">Sh, sh </span>
|sharp
|sharp
|-
| <span style="font-size:125%;">T, t </span>
|tif
|steal (< thief)
|-
| <span style="font-size:125%;">U, u </span>
|uman
|woman
|-
| <span style="font-size:125%;">V, v </span>
|vot
|vote
|-
| <span style="font-size:125%;">W, w </span>
|waka
|walk
|-
| <span style="font-size:125%;">Y, y </span>
|yala
|yellow
|-
| <span style="font-size:125%;">Z, z </span>
|zero
|zero
|-
| <span style="font-size:125%;">Zh, zh </span>
|plèzhùr (plehzhoh)
|pleasure
|}
 
'''Pronunciation Guides'''
* [https://wikitravel.org/en/Krio_phrasebook#Pronunciation_guide Pronunciation Guide (Kiro Phrasebook)]
 
==Language Aids and Dictionaries==
'''Language Aids'''
* [https://www.mustgo.com/worldlanguages/mende/ Mende Language - Dialects, Sound System, Vowels, Consonants, Tones, Grammar, Vocabulary, Writing]
* [https://www.visitsierraleone.org/background-information/languages/temne-words-and-phrases/ Temme Language - Vowel pronunciations and word list]
 
'''Dictionaries'''
* Berry, Jack. ''A dictionary of Sierra Leone Krio.'' Evanston, Ill: Northwestern University, 1966. '''''Available at:''''' [https://www.worldcat.org/title/4112593 WorldCat].
* Fyle, Clifford N and Eldred D Jones. ''A Krio-English dictionary.'' New York: Oxford Univ. Pr, 1980. '''''Available at:''''' [https://www.worldcat.org/title/631746023 WorldCat].
* Thompson, Hanne-Ruth and Momoh Taziff Koroma. ''Krio dictionary & phrasebook.'' New York, NY: Hippocrene Books, Inc, 2014. '''''Available at:''''' [https://www.worldcat.org/title/1007286637 WorldCat].
* Innes, Gordon. ''A Mende-English dictionary.'' Cambridge: University Press, 1969. '''''Available at:''''' [https://www.worldcat.org/title/1150293597 WorldCat].
* Eaton, M. ''A Dictionary of the Mende language.'' Freetown: Albert Academy Press, 1950. '''''Available at:''''' [https://www.worldcat.org/title/249266672 WorldCat].
* Schlenker, Christian Frederick. ''An English-Temme dictionary.'' London: Printed for the Church missionary Society, 1880. '''''Available at:''''' [https://www.worldcat.org/title/903864471 WorldCat].
 
'''Online Dictionaries'''
* [https://en.glosbe.com/en/kri Krio-English Dictionary (Glosbe)]
 
==Additional Resources==
* Peterson, John. ''Province of freedom : a history of Sierra Leone, 1787-1870.'' Evanston: Northwestern University Press, 1969. '''''Available at:''''' [https://www.worldcat.org/title/300200935 WorldCat].


== References ==
== References ==
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