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Caribbean English is a broad term for the dialects of the English language spoken in the Caribbean, most countries on the Caribbean coast of Central America, and Guyana. Caribbean English is influenced by the English-based Creole varieties spoken, but they are not the same. In the Caribbean, there is a great deal of variation in the way English is spoken. Scholars generally agree that although the dialects themselves vary significantly in each of these countries, they all have roots in 17th-century English and African languages.
Contents |
Overview
Examples of the English in daily use in the Caribbean include a different set of pronouns, typically, me, meh, or mi, you, yuh, he, she, it, we, wi or alawe, allyuh or unu, and dem or day. I, mi, my, he, she, ih, it, we, wi or alawe, allayu' or unu, and dem, den, deh for "them" with Central Americans. The so-called "dropping the 'h'" or th-stopping in th- words is common. Some might be "sing-songish" (Trinidad, Bahamas), rhotic (Bajan, Guyanese), influenced by Irish English dialects (Jamaican), or have an accent influenced by any of these, as well as Spanish and indigenous languages in the case of the Central American English dialects such as the Belizean Creole (Kriol), or the Mískito Coastal Creole and Rama Cay Creole spoken in Nicaragua. However, the English used in media, education and business and in formal or semi-formal discourse is the International Standard variety with an Afro-Caribbean cadence.
Standard English - Where is that boy? (pronounced /hwɛəɹ ɪz ðæt bɔɪ/)
- Barbados - 'Wherr iz dat boi?' ([hwer ɪz dæt bɔɪ]) (Spoken very quickly, is choppy, rhotic, and contains glottal stops; The most distinct accent)
- Jamaica, and Antigua and Barbuda- 'Whierr iz daaht bwoy?' ([hweɪr ɪz dɑt bʷɔɪ]) (Distinctive, sporadic rhoticity; Irish and Scottish influence)
- Trinidad and Bahamas - 'Wey iz dat boy?' ([weɪ ɪz dæt bɔɪ]) (Very similar to the accents of south western England and Wales; Have no rhoticity)
- Guyana, Tobago, St. Vincent - 'Weyr iz daht bai?' ([weɪɹ ɪz dɑt baɪ]) (Many variations depending of Afro- or Indo- descent, and compentency in standard English; Sporadic rhoticity )
- Belize, Panama, Nicaragua, The Bay Islands, Limón, and the Virgin Islands - 'Wehr iz daat bouy?' ([weɹ ɪz dɑt buɪ]) (Distinct, sporadic rhoticity, pronunciation becomes quite different from "Creole" pronunciation.)
The written form of the language in the former and current British West Indies conforms to spelling and grammar styles of Britain. Essentially, Caribbean English writing system is based on British English, but forbids the British accentuation, this by eliminating the glottal stop and the short a, which makes words have a question like sound.[clarification needed]
See also
- Bajan
- Bahamian Creole
- Belizean Creole
- Bermudian English
- Guyanese Creole
- Jamaican English
- Jamaican (language)
- Nicaragua Creole English
- Regional accents of English speakers
- Saint Kitts Creole
- Samaná English
- Trinidadian English
- Vincentian Creole
- Virgin Islands Creole
References
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This article includes a list of references, related reading or external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks inline citations. Please improve this article by introducing more precise citations where appropriate. (August 2009) |
- Freed, Kenneth (May 11, 1993). "Regional Outlook Caribbeanspeak The areas languages range from Creole to Patois, from English to French. And therein lies a growing dispute involving power and equality". Los Angeles Times. http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/access/60284658.html?dids=60284658:60284658&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=May+11%2C+1993&author=KENNETH+FREED&pub=Los+Angeles+Times+%28pre-1997+Fulltext%29&desc=Regional+Outlook+Caribbeanspeak+The+areas+languages+range+from+Creole+to+Patois%2C+from+English+to+French.+And+therein+lies+a+growing+dispute+involving+power+and+equality&pqatl=google. Retrieved 2009-08-22.
- Aceto, Michael (2004). "Eastern Caribbean English-derived language varieties: morphology and syntax". A handbook of varieties of English: a multimedia reference tool, vol. 2 Editors: Edgar Werner Schneider, Bernd Kortmann: 439. http://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=ZVIBxksRuEgC&oi=fnd&pg=PA439&dq=%22Turks+and+Caicos%22+DIALECT&ots=n4sMWvAYTX&sig=6OUCck8zB6wvmiPUDao_OT5RmJE#v=onepage&q=%22Turks%20and%20Caicos%22%20DIALECT&f=false.
External links
- Linguistic map of Caribbean English dialects from Muturzikin.com
- Caribbean English (British Library)
- Cross Referencing West Indian Dictionary
- [1] Article on Bajan Dialect
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