| Miskito Coast Creole | |
|---|---|
| Native to | Nicaragua |
Native speakers | ~40,000[1] |
English Creole
| |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | bzk |
| Glottolog | nica1252 |
| ELP | Nicaragua Creole English |
| Linguasphere | 52-ABB-af |
Mískito Coast Creole or Nicaraguan Creole English is an English-based creole language spoken in coastal Nicaraguan region of Mosquito Coast on the Caribbean Sea; its approximately 40,000 speakers are spread over the RACCN and RACCS regions of Nicaragua. The region, known before 1986 as the Zelaya department, is today administratively separated into two autonomous regions: North Caribbean Coast (RACCN) and South Caribbean Coast (RACCS). Mosquito is the nickname that is given to the region and earlier residents by early Europeans who visited and settled in the area.[2] The term "Miskito" is now more commonly used to refer to both the people and the language.[2]
Miskito creole is nearly identical to, and hence mutually intelligible with, Belizean Creole, and retains a high degree of intelligibility with all other Central American English creoles. It is also sometimes classified as a dialect of Jamaican Patois creole but this classification has been disputed.
It does not have the status of an official language in Nicaragua, but it is a recognized language in the autonomous regions where it is spoken.