Guyanese Creole

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Guyanese Creole (Creolese by its speakers: or simply Guyanese) is a creole language spoken by more than seven hundred thousand people in Guyana.

Guyanese is based on and influenced by Dutch, English, several West African Languages, Arawakan and Carib languages, and to a lesser extent Indian languages. It is related to Paramaccan and Aluku.

There are many sub-dialects of Guyanese Creole based on the race of the speakers and their geographical location within Guyana. For example, along the Rupununi River where the population is largely Amerindian, a distinct form of Guyanese Creole exists.

As in any language, words and phrases are elastic and change and evolve within a very short time period. They can also be used within a very small group, until picked up by a larger community.

Different Ethnic groups of the country are also known to alter or include words from their own backgrounds.

A socially stratified creole speech continuum also exists between Guyanese English and English. A phrase like "I told him" may be pronounced in various parts of the continuum:

English Taught in Guyanese Schools

English taught in the schools of Guyana is based on British English.

Guyanese people speak English/Guyanese Creole while learning the English system of writing and reading in schools. It is a slightly different system of communication from the standard forms.

Grammar

It is common in Guyanese Creole to repeat adjectives for emphasis (as if saying, very or extremely). For example, "Dis wata de col col" translates into "This water is very cold". "Come now now" translates into "come right now"

Example phrases

• Girl - Gyal
• Boy - Bai (pronounced bye)
• I am on the phone - Meh deh pon a/de fone
• Who is she? - Ah who she?
• Who is that?-ah who dah?
• What is that? - Dah ah wha? / Ah wah ah Dah?
• I don't know - Meh nah know
• What do you want? - Wuh yuh want
• What is happening? (An everyday greeting similar to What's up?) -Wappenin?
• How are you? - How yuh do?
• What are you doing?- aWa ya do?
• We are going to cook - Abee a guh cook
• No Man-Na Man
• Don't come back- Nah mek meh see yuh back here/Nah mas come back
• What's wrong with you? - Wha rong wit yuh?
• Do you understand what I am saying? - Yah understand wah meh ah seh?
• Come here - Come hay, nuh man?
• Move over - Dress down
• Go home - Ayuh catch home
• Gone from here - Gwhan from here
• Whats going on - wah gwan?
• You trying to disrespect me? - yuh tek yuh eyes an pass meh?
• Go shower - go bade yuh skin
• abbreviation for you people - ayuh
• spinach - bajee
• cause problems with people - mek story
• children - picknee
• you are a crazy man - u wan madman u no tha navi
• aren't you leaving? - ah yuh na gan?
• Stupid - pagalee
• Ghost - Jumbie
• Butt - Battie

References Bickerton, Derek (1976) Dynamics of a Creole System. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. [1] Rickford, John (1987) Dimensions of a Creole Continuum: History, Texts, and Linguistic Analysis of Guyanese Creole. Stanford: Stanford University Press. [2] Sidnell, Jack (2005) Talk and Practical Epistemology: The Social Life of Knowledge in a Caribbean Community. Amsterdam: Benjamins. [3]