Languages of El Salvador explained

Country:	El Salvador
Image Size:	300px
Indigenous:	Nawat, Lenca, Cacaopera, Qʼeqchiʼ †, Chʼortiʼ †, Xincan †, Mangue †

The Languages of El Salvador is what the country has been influenced throughout its history from the roots of the indigenous languages. Spanish is the official language of El Salvador, plus the indigenous as recognized languages:^[1]

There are also foreign languages that came from immigrants of the world and its descendants such as English, French, Italian, among others.^[2]

Indigenous languages

Before colonization, El Salvador had seven indigenous languages, four of which became extinct while the other three survived throughout history despite being endangered:

Endangered languages

• In the Pipil group they speak the Nawat, considered the most widely spoken indigenous language in the country; it was spoken by more than a thousand inhabitants.
• In the Lenca group, Potón is spoken, it is located in the eastern part of the country and considered as near extinction with 32 inhabitants speaking it.
• In the Cacaopera group it is located in the department of Morazán, considered as another nearly extinct language with 24 inhabitants.

Extinct languages

• Mayans spoke the Poqomam (†), which was traced in the west of the department of Santa Ana; and the Chʼortiʼ (†), which was the language by the majority area of the Department of Chalatenango and Northern Santa Ana, before being conquered by the Spanish in the mid-1530s.^{[3] [4] [5] [6]}
• The Xinca group (†), was located in the west of the department of Ahuachapán, which was influenced from Guatemala.^{[7] [8]}
• Mangue (†) was located in the east of the department of La Unión, considered a completely extinct language.

Spanish

See main article: Salvadoran Spanish. Spanish is the most widely spoken language for historical reasons of European colonialization, which is present as the official language since the Constitution of 1962.^[9] The last revision was the Constitution of the Republic of 1983, which is indicated in Article 62 of the Third Section, Chapter II.^[1] This Central American dialect certainly has the Yeísmo in its allophones and the seseo like any other Spanish American country; its form of respect for the second person represents the voseo, although the tuteo is preserved alternatively and the term usted as a formal treatment.^[10]

Sign Languages

See main article: Salvadoran Sign Language. The Salvadoran Sign Language (SSL), has been officially recognized since 2005 and has various Salvadoran associations for the deaf culture mixed with American Sign Language (ASL). Among them are the Salvadoran Association of the Deaf, the Association for the Integral Development of the Salvadoran Deaf Community (ASDICSSA) and the Pro Education Foundation of El Salvador (FUNPRES). ^[11]

Foreign Languages

El Salvador has approximately 7% of the population who speak foreign languages by the foreign communities of the country mentioned by some of these.^[2]

• English is the language spoken by almost half of its population academically, economically and socially, ranked as the fiftieth in the world with a moderate score of 524.^[12]
• French is present in its community for migration situations based on their stories, their education, and their economy.^[13]
• Italian is where its cultural influence was marked from the 19th Century that has its speaking community.^[14]

See also

• Academia Salvadoreña de la Lengua (in Spanish)

Notes and References

1. Web site: Constitución de la República de El Salvador (1983), art. 62 . es . October 30, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240224220905/https://www.asamblea.gob.sv/sites/default/files/documents/decretos/69A06B07-4F30-4F0E-8FB1-D664A3E6D8CC.pdf . 2024-02-24.
2. Web site: 2024 Census Results. es . 2024-10-30.
3. El Salvador Armed Forces History of Armed Forces in the Medieval Era (in Spanish).
4. Book: Sharer, Robert J. . The Prehistory of Chalchuapa, El Salvador . The University Museum, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia . 1978 . I.
5. Book: Fowler, William . Antiguas civilizaciónes . Banco Agrícola . 1995.
6. Book: Ministerio de Educación . Historia de El Salvador . 2009.
7. Campbell, 1978
8. Campbell y Kaufman, 1977
9. Book: . Political Constitution of the Republic of El Salvador . es . Title I: The State and Its Form of Government . 1962 . Article 11 .
10. Web site: El voseo en El Salvador. The voseo in El Salvador. es. 2024-11-02.
11. Book: Eberhard. David M.. Simons. Gary F.. Fennig. Charles D.. Ethnologue: Languages of the World. 2021. SIL International. Dallas. 24. Salvadoran Sign Language.
12. 2023 . Salvadorans have a moderate level of English, indicates report. EF English Proficiency Index . November 2, 2024.
13. Web site: Bernard. Adolphe. Le francais au Salvador: 1850 a 1950. fr. September 17, 1999. November 1, 2024.
14. Web site: Libri 100 anni. November 1, 2024. it. July 16, 2021.