South Tussenland Creole
| Native to | South Tussenland |
|---|---|
Language family | Dutch Creoles
|
| Official status | |
Official language in | South Tussenland |
South Tussenland Creole (Tal Sudisenda; Amerikaens: Suydt-Tussenlandts kriöl), also known as Kriöl and commonly referred to by its speakers as Sakoro ([sakɔrɔ]), is a Dutch-based creole language spoken natively by 60–80% of South Tussenland's population. It emerged as a distinct language c. 1700 among African slaves of the Lower Mississippi region. Approximately from 1850–1920, Creole became a language of literature, the Zoekerist faith, and politics in independent South Tussenland. The early 20th century saw many speakers decreolize their speech in favor of the prestigious Juys Mondordt. Today, Sakoro functions as the lower register in a diglossic situation with Amerikaens, mainly being used as a spoken vernacular and the liturgical language of Zoekerism.
Dutch, Spanish, Akan, Kikongo, and indigenous American languages such as Hoema are Sakoro's primary influences in vocabulary, grammar, and syntax. This composition and history gives it a striking resemblance to other creoles of the Caribbean region such as Berbice Dutch, Papiamento, and Saint-Dominguese.
Etymology
The word 'sakoro' came to be used in reference to the language from the beginning of the 19th century. Three theories on the word's origin, none widely accepted, circulate among the general public and the scholarly class:
- Shakulo, a native Tsjatah word meaning 'bald cypress', a tree indigenous to South Tussenland.
- Sakōro, the Akan word for foe-foe, a pounded dough staple foodstuff found in various forms throughout west and central Africa.
- One of many Romance-language terms descending from the Latin term sacculus ('small sack' or 'wine sack').
