Sarnami Hindustani

Sarnámi Hindustáni (Sarnami Hindustani, Sarnami Hindoestani, Sarnami) is an Indo-Aryan koiné language and the Surinamese variety of Caribbean Hindustani. The language originated from a mixture of the various languages and dialects spoken by British Indian indentured labourers. The Indo-Aryan languages that formed the basis for the development of Sarnami consist of Magahi ('Bhojpuri'), Awadhi and Hindustani (Hindi–Urdu), and to a lesser degree from other Bihari and Hindi languages, such as Magahi, Maithili and Braj. It also contains Influence and vocabulary taken from Dutch, English, and to a lesser extent Portuguese and loanwords from other Surinamese languages such as Sranan Tongo.

Sarnami is considered to be the mother tongue of the Indo-Surinamese people and is mainly spoken in the Nickerie and Saramacca districts of Suriname, and due to migration in the Netherlands, Netherlands Antilles, Guyana, United States, Canada, and French Guiana.