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The Spanish of Equatorial Guineas1: research on la hispanidad's best-kept secret
Introduction
The Republic of Equatorial Guinea is sub-Saharan Africa's only Spanish-speaking nation, which makes it somewhat of a linguistic curiosity, and which has contributed to its political isolation from neighboring countries. At the same time, the role of the national, ex-colonial language is significantly different in Equatorial Guinea than in most of English, French and Portuguese-speaking Africa, and the linguistic situation of Equatorial Guinea has considerable importance for theories of creolization of-European languages, and the diversification of Spanish and Portuguese throughout the world. As a result, a detailed description of the status of Spanish in Equatorial Guinea transcends the limits of this tiny nation and reflects a potential impact on more general areas of study.
Equatorial Guinea consists of the island of Bioko (formerly named Fernando Poo), which contains the capital, Malabo (formerly Santa Isabel), and the continental enclave of Rio Muni (with capital Bata), between Gabon and Cameroon, as well as tiny Annobon Island, located to the south of Sio Tomb In 1964 Spanish Guinea (as the colony was known) achieved status as an autonomous region, and the nation became independent in 1968, when Spain yielded to international pressure. Despite the lack of colonial independence wars, Equatorial Guinea lurched violently into the post-colonial era with a nightmarish 11-year regime, headed by Francisco Macias Nguema, which nearly destroyed the country's infrastructure, expelled all foreigners and exiled, jailed or murdered nearly half of the Equatorial Guinean population. Following the overthrow of Macias in 1979, Equatorial Guinea continues to struggle under the crushing weight of post-colonial destruction, and while highly dependent on Spanish technical aid, moved gradually into the French sphere of influence in Africa, underlined by the entry of Equatorial Guinea into the Communaute Financiere Africaine (CFA) monetary zone in the late 1980's.
Like most other African nations, Equatorial Guinea contains a variety of ethnic groups, each speaking its own language. The major group on Bioko is the Bubi. Also found in Malabo and its environs are numerous Fernandinos, descendents of pidgin English-speaking freed slaves from Sierra Leone and Liberia, who arrived in Fernando Poo in the 19th century, as well as a handful of natives of SAo Tomb and Principe, Cape Verde and...