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The languages of the Caribbean reflect the region's diverse history and culture. There are eight'' official languages spoken in the Caribbean. The eight languages are: : * Spanish (official language of Cuba, Dominican Republic, and Puerto Rico) : * French (official language of Guadeloupe, Haiti, Martinique, St. Barthelemy, and St. Martin) : * English (official language of Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Dominica, Grenada, Jamaica, Montserrat, Puerto Rico, Saba, St. Eustatius, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Maarten, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos Islands, U.S. Virgin Islands) : * Dutch (official language of Aruba, Bonaire, Curaçao, Saba, St. Eustatius and St. Maarten) : * Haitian Creole (official language of Haiti) : * Papiamento (a Portuguese and Spanish-based Creole language) (official language of Aruba, Bonaire and Curaçao) However, there are also number of creoles and local patois. Dozens of the creole languages of the Caribbean are widely used informally among the general population. There are also a few additional smaller indigenous languages. Many of the indigenous languages have become extinct or are dying out. At odds with the ever growing desire for a single Caribbean community,〔For Caribbean community see Commonwealth Caribbean and CARICOM〕 the linguistic diversity of a few Caribbean islands has made language policy an issue in the post-colonial era. In recent years, Caribbean islands have become aware of a linguistic inheritance of sorts. However, language policies being developed nowadays are mostly aimed at multilingualism. ==Language groups== Most languages spoken in the Caribbean are either European languages (namely English, Spanish, French and Dutch) or European language-based creoles. English is the first or second language in most Caribbean islands and is also the unofficial "language of tourism", the dominant industry in the Caribbean region. In the Caribbean, the official language is usually determined by whichever colonial power (England, Spain, France, or the Netherlands) held sway over the island first or longest. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Languages of the Caribbean」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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