Languages of Gibraltar

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See also Demographics of Gibraltar

Many of Gibraltar's linguistic infuences come from its neighbors, Spain and Morocco. Territory of Gibralter highlighted in green

As an overseas territory of the United Kingdom, the sole official language of Gibraltar is English, and it is used by the Government and in schools. However, due to the varied mix of ethnic groups which reside there, other languages are spoken on the Rock, including Llanito, the main local vernacular, Spanish, and Arabic.

[edit] Llanito

Llanito (IPA: [jɑˈnito]), an Andalusian Spanish-based creole, is the main local vernacular, and unique to Gibraltar. It employs frequent code-switching between English and Spanish, Spanish pronunciation of English words (such as beki for bacon) and has influenced languages other than those, such as Haketia (A dialect of Judeo-Spanish, similar to Ladino), Genoese Italian, and Hebrew (over 500 words of the lexicon are said to be of Hebrew and Genoese origin). Inhabitants of Gibraltar also refer to themselves as "Llanitos". Spanish

[edit] Spanish

Over the course of its history, the Rock of Gibraltar has changed hands many times, among Spanish, Moorish, and British hands, although it has been consistently under British control since the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713. Before the British takeover, Spanish was widely spoken, but afterwards, most residents were forced to leave their homes, and the language generally disappeared. However, the border with Spain has been opened since 1985, and Andalusian Spanish has considerable presence there.

[edit] Arabic

Owing to its close proximity to Morocco and Algeria, Arabic-speaking North African countries, Arabic is spoken by the Moroccan and other North African minority on the Rock, which may be as large as 4% (the percentage of Muslims in Gibraltar).

[edit] Refrences

• This article contains material from the CIA World Factbook (2006 edition) which, as a US government publication, is in the public domain.
• http://www.extremetourist.com/
• http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=eng