Mélange Travel & Lifestyle Magazine January 2018 | Page 11

Dominican Creole, similar to that spoken in St.
Lucia, Haiti, Martinique, Guadeloupe, and parts of
Trinidad & Tobago, is a mix of French and African
languages.
was always a clear distinction between the standard
language spoken by the oppressors and the Creole
spoken among slaves.
This colourful and interesting linguistic legacy is
not without issue, however. With the emancipation
of slaves and Blacks moving off the plantation into
different realms of society, these creoles started to
be left in the countryside, limited to the home, and
branded the dialect of the lower class. Of course
this view would have been fostered from their early
classification as the language of slaves. Soon it was
typically those living in rural areas and the poor
and uneducated who spoke Creole; “high-society”,
“distinguished” or “educated” people did not associate
themselves with it. In some islands the creole became
stigmatized and a shame of sorts: a St. Lucian fellow
pilot told me he was beaten if he was heard speaking
Creole as a child, and a Jamaican friend told me that
parents there generally discourage their children
from speaking patois. Thankfully, in recent years
attitudes have changed such that a sense of pride
has emerged and local dialect is now embraced and
promoted as a vital part of the culture. For example,
in St. Lucia, Creole is now being taught in school
and some Creole-English dictionaries have been
published. In St. Maarten, children grow up freely
speaking Papiamento in and out of the home.
Now when I hear my relatives speaking “rank Bajan”
(raw Barbadian dialect), I don’t simply consider
it different English. The pleasant lilt of other
Caribbean accents is no longer simply a cause of mild
amusement for me. I appreciate these as full-fledged
modes of communication between people bound by
a geographic and cultural history. These people, in
their playful expression with one another, continue
to celebrate a legacy of strength and resilience that
extends beyond physical or economic achievements.
Little do they know that by this legacy, each one of
them is also forever bound to his bredren, his amigus,
and his kanmawads elsewhere in the Caribbean’s
African diaspora and out in the wider world.
Creole (Kwéyòl)
Jodi sé yon bèl jou
Sa ki non’w?
Bon jou, Misyé.
Ki sa ou vlé?
Mwen vlé yon bwè
I byen cho jòdi
English
Today is a beautiful day
What is your name?
Good day, Sir
What do you want?
I want a drink
It is very hot today
References:
www.avirtualdominica.com & Wikipedia
Cuba, like other Spanish-speaking islands, has
many dialects descended from a mix of Spanish
and African languages.
Cuban Dialect
English
¿Qué bola?
How are you?
Asere
Friend
Yuma Foreigner
Jama Food
Tengo que pinchar I have to work
Baro, chavito, fula
Money
Reference:
www.veintemundos.com/en/spanish/cuba
Papiamento is a mix of English, Dutch, Spanish,
Portuguese, and African languages.
Papiamento
Bon Bini
Con ta bai?
Hopi bon
Pasa un bon dia
Masha danki
Bon nochi
English
Welcome
How are you?
Very good
Have a nice day
Thank you very much
Good evening/good night
Reference:
Kelly Renee on Pinterest
The dialects of St. Vincent & the Grenadines,
although mostly of English origin, also contain
elements of Portuguese, French, Antillean Creole,
Spanish, and indigenous and African languages.
Vincentian Dialect
How you do?
Jumbie
Dohtish/chupit
Ova yahso
Comess
Pikney
Reference:
Wikepedia
Translation
How are you doing?
Ghost
Stupid
Over here
Gossip
Child/children