Editing Belize (section)

===Languages===

{{bar box
|title=Languages in Belize
|titlebar=#ddd
|left1=Languages
|right1=percent
|float=right
|bars=
{{bar percent|English|darkgreen|80.9}}
{{bar percent|Spanish|red|62.8}}
{{bar percent|Creole|purple|44.6}}
{{bar percent|Mayan|black|10.5}}
{{bar percent|German|orange|4.2}}
{{bar percent|Garifuna|darkblue|2.9}}
{{bar percent|Caribbean Hindustani/Hindi|brown|1.9}}
{{bar percent|Chinese|green|0.9}}
{{bar percent|Other|maroon|0.9}}
{{bar percent|None|darkgray|0.2}}
{{bar percent|American Sign Language|gray|0.3}}
}}
{{Main|Languages of Belize}}

[[English language|English]] is the official language of Belize, a legacy of its former status as a British colony. Belize is the only country in Central America with English as the official language. English is the primary language of public education, government, and most media outlets. Although English is widely used, [[Belizean Creole]] is spoken in several situations, whether informal, formal, social, or interethnic{{clarify|date=August 2024}} dialogue, even in meetings of the House of Representatives.

When a creole language exists alongside its [[lexifier]] language, as is the case in Belize, a continuum forms between the creole and the lexifier language.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Belize English Creole|url=https://www.ethnologue.com/language/bzj|access-date=2021-11-23|website=Ethnologue|language=en|archive-date=12 April 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230412124347/https://www.ethnologue.com/language/bzj|url-status=live}}</ref>

Approximately 52.9% of Belizeans self-identify as [[Mestizo]], [[Hispanic]]. When Belize was a British colony, [[Spanish language|Spanish]] was banned in schools, but since then it has become widely spoken. [[Spanglish|"Kitchen Spanish"]] is an intermediate form of Spanish mixed with Belize Creole, spoken in the northern districts. Some good examples are [[Corozal Town|Corozal]] and [[San Pedro Town|San Pedro]].<ref name="ambergriscaye.com"/>

Over half the population is [[multilingual]],<ref>{{cite book|last1=Merrill|first1=Tim|title=Guyana and Belize: Country Studies|date=1993|publisher=Library of Congress|location=Washington, D.C.|page=201}}</ref> owing to Belize's status as a small, multiethnic state, surrounded by Spanish-speaking nations.<ref name="belize2011">{{Cite web|title=Belize Demographics Country Profile {{pipe}} With Belize Census Data|url=https://belize.com/belize-demographics/|access-date=2021-11-23|website=belize.com|language=en-US|archive-date=23 July 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230723091826/https://belize.com/belize-demographics/|url-status=live}}</ref>

Belize is also home to three [[Mayan languages]]: [[Q'eqchi' language|Q'eqchi']], [[Mopan language|Mopan]] (an [[endangered language]]), and [[Yucatec Maya language|Yucatec Maya]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Q'eqchi'|url=https://www.ethnologue.com/language/kek|access-date=2021-11-23|website=Ethnologue|language=en|archive-date=12 April 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230412124347/https://www.ethnologue.com/language/kek|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Maya, Mopán|url=https://www.ethnologue.com/language/mop|access-date=2021-11-23|website=Ethnologue|language=en|archive-date=5 January 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170105083603/https://www.ethnologue.com/language/mop|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Maya, Yucatec|url=https://www.ethnologue.com/language/yua|access-date=2021-11-23|website=Ethnologue|language=en|archive-date=29 December 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161229170238/https://www.ethnologue.com/language/yua|url-status=live}}</ref>
Approximately 16,100 people speak the [[Ta-Arawakan languages|Arawakan-based]] [[Garifuna language]],<ref>{{Cite web|title=Garifuna|url=https://www.ethnologue.com/language/cab|access-date=2021-11-23|website=Ethnologue|language=en|archive-date=26 March 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230326032520/https://www.ethnologue.com/language/cab|url-status=live}}</ref> and 6,900 Mennonites in Belize speak mainly [[Plautdietsch language|Plautdietsch]] while a minority of Mennonites speak [[Pennsylvania Dutch language|Pennsylvania Dutch]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Plautdietsch|url=https://www.ethnologue.com/language/pdt|access-date=2021-11-23|website=Ethnologue|language=en|archive-date=2 April 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190402192648/https://www.ethnologue.com/language/pdt|url-status=live}}</ref>