SLE Language Areas

While English is the official language, it is typically used for governmental, business, and media purposes. In day to day life most people in the country speak Krio, which is a style of Pidgin English or English-based creole language. Krio is the lingua franco for the country and the formal language for those who do not speak English. With the number of different ethnic groups, Krio unites these groups with a common language. The citizens who are fluent in English are among the elite minority and often experience privileges such as economic opportunities that non-English speakers are excluded from. Other common indigenous languages used in the country are Mende, Temne, and Limba. As the official language, English is the only language used in education. It is reported that school children who speak indigenous languages on school premises are punished. Students who fail English classes are not granted admission into college. Attribute Table Field DescriptionsISO3-International Organization for Standardization 3-digit country codeADM0_NAME-Administration level zero identification / nameLANG_FAM-Language familyLANG_SUBGR-Language subgroupALT_NAMES-Alternate namesCOMMENTS-Comments or notes regarding languageSOURCE_DT-Source one creation dateSOURCE-Source oneSOURCE2_DT-Source two creation dateSOURCE2-Source twoCollectionThis feature class was created using Anthromapper consisting of linguistic layers that have been primarily based on The World Language Mapping System (WMLS). Geographical terrain features, combined with a watershed model, were also used to predict the likely extent of linguistic influence. The metadata was supplemented with anthropological and linguistic information from peer-reviewed journals and published books. It should be noted that this feature class only depicts the majority first level languages spoken in a given area; there might be significant populations of other minority language speakers not shown in this dataset.The data included herein have not been derived from a registered survey and should be considered approximate unless otherwise defined. While rigorous steps have been taken to ensure the quality of each dataset, DigitalGlobe is not responsible for the accuracy and completeness of data compiled from outside sources.Sources (HGIS)Anthromapper. DigitalGlobe, November 2014.Ethnologue, “Languages of the World." 2012. Accessed November 2014. http://www.ethnologue.com.World Language Mapping System (WLMS) Version 16. World GeoDatasets, November 2014.Sources (Metadata)Antimoon, “English, French, and Arabic languages in Sierra Leone”. December 2009. Accessed December 2014. http://www.antimoon.com.Central Intelligence Agency. The World FactBook, “Serra Leone”. June 2014. Accessed November 2014. https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook.DePauw University. Sierra Leone, “Language”. January 2014. Accessed December 2014. http://www.depauw.edu.National African Language Resource Center (NALRC), “Krio”. January 2014. Accessed December 2014. http://www.nalrc.indiana.edu.