Rama language
| Rama | |
|---|---|
| Rama | |
| Native to | Nicaragua |
| Region | Rama Cay |
| Ethnicity | Rama |
Native speakers | 740 (2009) |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | rma |
| Glottolog | rama1270 |
| ELP | Rama |
| Linguasphere | 81-CAA-aa |
The Rama language is one of the Indigenous languages of the Chibchan family spoken by the Rama people on the island of Rama Cay and south of lake Bluefields on the Caribbean coast of Nicaragua. Other Indigenous languages of this region include Miskito and Sumu. Rama is one of the northernmost languages of the Chibchan family. It is spoken in Honduras and Nicaragua.
The Rama language is severely endangered. Their language was described as "dying quickly for lack of use" as early as the 1860s. By 1980, the Rama were noted as having "all but lost their original ethnic language", and had become speakers of a form of English creole, called Rama Cay Creole, instead. In 1992, only approximately 36 fluent speakers could be found among an ethnic population of 649 individuals. The number of speakers on Rama Cay island was only 4 in 1992. There have been several language revitalization efforts. The fieldwork for the first dictionary of Rama was done during this time by Robin Schneider, a graduate student from the University of Berlin.