Barbados Languages: Difference between revisions
(Removed TOC (will be adde back in the correct place later).) |
m (→Description: creating language page) |
||
| (14 intermediate revisions by 2 users not shown) | |||
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
{{breadcrumb | |||
| link1=[[Barbados Genealogy|Barbados]] | | link1=[[Barbados Genealogy|Barbados]] | ||
| link2= | | link2= | ||
| Line 12: | Line 5: | ||
| link4= | | link4= | ||
| link5=[[Barbados Languages|Languages]] | | link5=[[Barbados Languages|Languages]] | ||
}} | }}{{Barbados-sidebar}} | ||
==Description== | ==Description== | ||
English is the official language of Barbados, and is used for communications, administration, and public services all over the island. In its capacity as the official language of the country, the standard of English tends to conform to the vocabulary, pronunciations, spellings, and conventions akin to, but not exactly the same as, those of British English. It is used in print, in the media, in the judicial system, in government, and in day-to-day business. | English is the official language of Barbados, and is used for communications, administration, and public services all over the island. In its capacity as the official language of the country, the standard of English tends to conform to the vocabulary, pronunciations, spellings, and conventions akin to, but not exactly the same as, those of British English. It is used in print, in the media, in the judicial system, in government, and in day-to-day business. | ||
| Line 24: | Line 18: | ||
==Word List(s)== | ==Word List(s)== | ||
==Alphabet and Pronunciation== | |||
Pronouns in Bajan Creole do not diverge too far from Standard English, but there are differences. As with other similar creoles, Bajan does not differentiate subject and object pronouns, nor possessive pronouns, except in the case of the first person singular. Another difference is the word for the plural '''you''', which is ''wunna'', similar to the Jamaican word ''unnu'' / ''unna'' or Bahamian ''yinna''. Here is a list of pronouns in Bajan creole: | Pronouns in Bajan Creole do not diverge too far from Standard English, but there are differences. As with other similar creoles, Bajan does not differentiate subject and object pronouns, nor possessive pronouns, except in the case of the first person singular. Another difference is the word for the plural '''you''', which is ''wunna'', similar to the Jamaican word ''unnu'' / ''unna'' or Bahamian ''yinna''. Here is a list of pronouns in Bajan creole: | ||
| Line 72: | Line 52: | ||
==Language Aids and Dictionaries== | ==Language Aids and Dictionaries== | ||
==Additional Resources== | ==Additional Resources== | ||
==References== | ==References== | ||
[[Category:Barbados]] | [[Category:Barbados]] | ||
Revision as of 14:44, 29 January 2021
| Barbados Wiki Topics | |
 | |
| Beginning Research | |
| Record Types | |
| Barbados Background | |
| Local Research Resources | |
Description[edit | edit source]
English is the official language of Barbados, and is used for communications, administration, and public services all over the island. In its capacity as the official language of the country, the standard of English tends to conform to the vocabulary, pronunciations, spellings, and conventions akin to, but not exactly the same as, those of British English. It is used in print, in the media, in the judicial system, in government, and in day-to-day business.
A regional variant of English referred to locally as Bajan is spoken by most Barbadians in everyday life especially in informal settings, in music, or in social commentary. In its full-fledged form, Bajan sounds markedly different from the Standard English heard on the island. The degree of intelligibility between Bajan and general English depends on the level of creolised vocabulary and idioms. A Bajan speaker may be completely unintelligible to an English speaker from another country. Bajan is influenced by other Caribbean English dialects. [1]
- Bajan or Barbadian Creole - English-based creole language with African and British influences spoken on the Caribbean island of Barbados. Around 1,000 people use English as their main language and 286,000 use Bajan as their main language. [2]
- There was no indigenous language on Barbados
Note: When West African captives were taken to Barbados and enslaved, they were forced to speak English. But they didn't learn it very well and the result was Bajan. It was the how the slaves communicated with each other without their masters understanding. Bajan continues to evolve as new idioms, jargon, expressions, and terminology are added. It is not a written language, only spoken. There are dialectal variations across the island. How To Speak Like A Bajan - The Ultimate Guide
Word List(s)[edit | edit source]
Alphabet and Pronunciation[edit | edit source]
Pronouns in Bajan Creole do not diverge too far from Standard English, but there are differences. As with other similar creoles, Bajan does not differentiate subject and object pronouns, nor possessive pronouns, except in the case of the first person singular. Another difference is the word for the plural you, which is wunna, similar to the Jamaican word unnu / unna or Bahamian yinna. Here is a list of pronouns in Bajan creole:
| Singular | Plural | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bajan | Standard | Bajan | Standard | |
| I/me/my | I/me/my | we | we/us/our | |
| yuh | you/your | wunna | you all/your | |
| he she it |
he/him/his she/her it/its |
dem | they/them/their | |
The word "yuh" is interchangeably pronounced /ju/ or /jə/. [3]
Language Aids and Dictionaries[edit | edit source]
Additional Resources[edit | edit source]
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Demographics of Barbados," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of_Barbados#Languages, accessed 29 January 2021.
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Bajan Creole," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bajan_Creole, accessed 29 January 2021.
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Bajan Creole," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bajan_Creole#Pronouns, accessed 29 January 2021.