Sranan

[srah-nuhn]

noun

1. an English-based creole widely spoken in Suriname.

Word History and Origins

Origin of Sranan¹

First recorded in 1950–55; from Sranan: literally, “Suriname (tongue)”

Example Sentences

The chorus of “You can’t break me” is sung in Sranan Tongo, the lingua franca of his native Suriname in South America.

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Following thi logic, we examined the pronunciation of Sranan, an English-based Creole still spoken in Suriname.

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In 1667, soon after Sranan was formed, the English ceded Suriname to the Dutch, and most English speakers moved elsewhere.

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So the indentured servants and other migrants from England had a brief but strong influence on Sranan.

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It turned out that 80 percent of the English features in Sranan could be traced back to regional dialectal features from two distinct locations within England: a cluster of locations near the port of Bristol and a cluster near Essex, in eastern England.

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