Cayman Islands Languages

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Description[edit | edit source]

The official language of the Cayman Islands is English (90%).

  • Islanders' accents retain elements passed down from English, Scottish, and Welsh settlers (among others) in a language variety known as Cayman Creole. Cayman Creole is not a language of its own, but considered a variety of English. [1]
  • Caymanians of Jamaican origin speak in their own vernacular- Jamaican Creole and Jamaican English.
  • It is also quite commonplace to hear some residents converse in Spanish as many citizens have relocated from Latin America to work and live on Grand Cayman. Spanish speakers comprise approximately between 10 and 12% of the population and is predominantly of the Caribbean dialect.
  • Tagalog is spoken by about 5% of inhabitants most of whom are Filipino residents on work permits. [2]

Word List(s)[edit | edit source]

Jamaican Creole or Patois

Spanish

Tagalog

Alphabet and Pronunciation[edit | edit source]

Jamaican Creole

Spanish

Tagalog

Language Aids and Dictionaries[edit | edit source]

Jamaican Creole

Spanish

Tagalog

Additional Resources[edit | edit source]

References[edit | edit source]

  1. Wikipedia contributors, "Cayman Creole," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en-academic.com/dic.nsf/enwiki/992776#:~:text=Cayman%20Creole-,Cayman%20Creole,Creole%20does%20not%20have%20the%20status%20of%20an%20official%20language.,-ee%20also, accessed 3 September 2021.
  2. Wikipedia contributors, "Cayman Islands," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cayman_Islands#:~:text=The%20official%20language,work%20permits.%5B48%5D, accessed 3 September 2021.