Lucumí language
| Lucumí | |
|---|---|
| Native to | used in Cuba and the Cuban Diaspora |
Native speakers | None[1] (liturgical language) |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | luq |
| Glottolog | lucu1238 |
Lucumí is a lexicon of words and short phrases derived from the Yoruba language and used for ritual purposes in Cuba and the Cuban Diaspora; it is used as the liturgical language of Santería in Cuba and other communities that practice Santería/Cuban Orisa/Lucumí religion/Regla de Ocha.[2][3]
The Yoruba language is no longer a vernacular among Yoruba descendants in the Americas since the time of the TransAtlantic slave trade. Devotees of the Orisa religion as it developed in the Spanish Caribbean use a liturgical language that developed from its remains. Lucumí has also been influenced by Spanish phonetics and pronunciation. The essential and non-negotiable tonal aspect of Yorùbá language has also been lost in the Lucumí lexicon of Cuban orisa tradition. Scholars have found some minimal influence from Bantu languages and Fongbe, some of which were spoken by other enslaved Africans who lived in close proximity to Yoruba speakers in the Americas.
See also
- Diaspora language
- Afro-Cubans
- Santería
- Habla Congo, a similar liturgical language based on Kongo
- Haitian Vodoun Culture Language
References
- ^ Lucumí at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
- ^ George Brandon (1997). Santeria from Africa to the New World. Indiana University Press. p. 56.
lucumi language.
- ^ Wirtz, Kristina. 2014. Performing Afro-Cuba: Image, Voice, Spectacle in the Making of Race and History. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. ISBN 978-0-226-11905-2
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