Sranan Tongo (Sranantongo, "Surinamese tongue", Sranan, Surinamese Creole) is an English-based creole language from Suriname, in South America, where it is the first or second language for 519,600 Surinamese people. It is also spoken in the Netherlands, and across the Surinamese diaspora. It is considered both an unofficial national language and a lingua franca.
The first enslaved Africans probably spoke Gbe or KiKongo languages as their native tongues, and were bilingual for some time. In the early 18th century (1720), large numbers of Akan people (65%) from the region then called the Gold Coast were also transported to plantations in Suriname. The addition of the Akan language into early Sranan Tongo, which had already undergone a process of creolisation at that time, further altered the language, causing relexification and giving the creole its own distinct form of Africanisms. As other ethnic groups, such as East Indians, Chinese and Javanese, were brought to Suriname as indentured workers, Sranan Tongo became a lingua franca.
Characteristics
Despite having a significant number of English-language words in its lexicon, the lack of contact with English speakers from the 17th century means Sranan Tongo is rarely mutually intelligible with modern English and is distinct from most other English-based creoles.
Phonology and orthography
thumb|250px|[[Bushinengue|Maroons being taught in the outdoors, 1943. At the top of the blackboard is , in Sranan Tongo.]]
Until the middle of the 20th century, most written texts in Sranan, seen at the time as a low-prestige language,