Bajan
Encyclopedia
Bajan is an English-based creole language spoken on the Caribbean island of Barbados
. Bajan, like many other English-based Caribbean creole languages, consists of a West African
substrate
and an English
superstrate. Bajan is similar but distinguishable from the creoles of neighbouring Caribbean islands, as many of the other Caribbean creoles are theorized to have Hiberno-English
or Scottish English
as their superstrate variety, for example Jamaican Patois.
Due to emigration to the Province of Carolina
, Bajan has influenced American English and the Gullah language
spoken in the Carolinas. Regionally, Bajan has ties to Belizean
and Guyanese Creoles
Unlike Jamaica, Guyana or Trinidad, Barbados was the destination of few African-born slaves after 1800. Thus, African blacks became "Bajanized" relatively early on in the island's history. This tended to make them less resistant to local culture, with its Anglicised language, religion and customs.
Today, Bajan is a more popular regional term for nationals of Barbados, in addition to the official name, Barbadian
. In general, the people of Barbados speak standard British English on TV and radio, in courthouses, in government, and in day to day business, while Bajan is reserved for less formal situations, in music, or in social commentary. Standard English is a secondary native tongue of all Barbadians, and is usually used when talking formally. Barbadians may opt to speak Bajan amongst themselves or when in a very relaxed setting. Bajan is a primarily spoken language with no standardised written form. Due to the lack of standardisation, spelling may vary widely from person to person. There is much dialectal variation throughout the island. Bajan words and sentences presented below are largely spelled as they are pronounced.
s /θ/ and /ð/ have merged with other consonants (in this case, /t/ and /d/, respectively. Unlike most other Caribbean creoles, Bajan is rhotic
. Bajan has a strong tendency to realize word-final /t/ as a glottal stop
[ʔ]. Thus the Bajan pronunciation of start, [stɑːɹʔ], contrasts sharply with the pronunciation of other Caribbean speakers, [staːt] or [stɑːt] or [staːɹt].
The word for you (plural) is wuna, similar to Jamaican unnu / unna or Bahamian yinna. Unlike Standard English, Bajan tends towards using a zero copula
.
Questions are usually pronounced as a statement with a raised intonation
; usually on the last word; to indicate that it is a question e.g. Wunna win de cricket? means "Did you (pl.) win the cricket match?"; dah you own? means "Is that yours?"
Habitual actions are usually indicated by the word does and done, for example I does guh church punna Sunduh means "I go to church on Sundays", or I done guh church pon Sunduh "I went to church on Sunday". It is quite common for this to be shortened to I's guh church pun Sunduh.
Verbs in Bajan are not conjugated for tense, which is inferred from time words e.g. I eat all de food yestuhday = "I ate all of the food yesterday", where the word yesterday indicates that the action happened in the past.
The word gine is usually used to mark the future tense e.g. I gine eat = "I am going to eat".
Ain't (frequently shortened to ain') is used as a negative marker e.g. "I didn't do that" becomes I ain' do dat/dah. It is not uncommon for the I and the ain' to be pronounced in Bajan as "Ah'n" i.e. "Ah'n do dah" or "Ah'n able".
, Bajan has "fewer than 20 lexical items that are traceable to an African origin".
wunna: You all from the Igbo
word unu, which means You (Plural)
bim: Nickname for Barbados, derived from Igbo 'Ndi Ibem' or 'Ibem' meaning 'My people'
obeah
: From Igbo Obia, 'doctoring, mysticism, or oracle'
doppy: From Twi
Adope
Cou-Cou: Part of the local national dish
, but comes from "Fou Fou" in Africa.
nyam: (Pronounced "ng-yam") or "Yamm--") which means to eat ravenously or greedily, as in, "Don't yamm- the food like that boy!" – In Manjaku (language spoken in Guinea-Bissau
) and in Pulaar
it means to chew
Barbados
Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles. It is in length and as much as in width, amounting to . It is situated in the western area of the North Atlantic and 100 kilometres east of the Windward Islands and the Caribbean Sea; therein, it is about east of the islands of Saint...
. Bajan, like many other English-based Caribbean creole languages, consists of a West African
African languages
There are over 2100 and by some counts over 3000 languages spoken natively in Africa in several major language families:*Afro-Asiatic spread throughout the Middle East, North Africa, the Horn of Africa, and parts of the Sahel...
substrate
Substratum
In linguistics, a stratum or strate is a language that influences, or is influenced by another through contact. A substratum is a language which has lower power or prestige than another, while a superstratum is the language that has higher power or prestige. Both substratum and superstratum...
and an English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
superstrate. Bajan is similar but distinguishable from the creoles of neighbouring Caribbean islands, as many of the other Caribbean creoles are theorized to have Hiberno-English
Hiberno-English
Hiberno-English is the dialect of English written and spoken in Ireland .English was first brought to Ireland during the Norman invasion of the late 12th century. Initially it was mainly spoken in an area known as the Pale around Dublin, with Irish spoken throughout the rest of the country...
or Scottish English
Scottish English
Scottish English refers to the varieties of English spoken in Scotland. It may or may not be considered distinct from the Scots language. It is always considered distinct from Scottish Gaelic, a Celtic language....
as their superstrate variety, for example Jamaican Patois.
Language
Bajan is the Caribbean creole with the closest grammar to Standard English, There is academic debate on whether its creole features are due to an earlier pidgin state or to some other reason, such as contact with neighboring English-based creole languages. In one historical model, Bajan arose when captive West Africans were forcibly transported to the island, enslaved and forced to speak English, though learned imperfectly. Bajan later became a means of communicating without always being understood by the slave holders.Due to emigration to the Province of Carolina
Province of Carolina
The Province of Carolina, originally chartered in 1629, was an English and later British colony of North America. Because the original Heath charter was unrealized and was ruled invalid, a new charter was issued to a group of eight English noblemen, the Lords Proprietors, in 1663...
, Bajan has influenced American English and the Gullah language
Gullah language
Gullah is a creole language spoken by the Gullah people , an African American population living on the Sea Islands and the coastal region of the U.S...
spoken in the Carolinas. Regionally, Bajan has ties to Belizean
Belizean Kriol language
Belizean Creole English, known as Kriol by its speakers, is an English-based creole language most closely related to Miskito Coastal Creole, Limón Coastal Creole, Colón Creole, San Andrés and Providencia Creole, Guyanese Creole, Jamaican Patois and English creoles of the Caribbean show similarity...
and Guyanese Creoles
Unlike Jamaica, Guyana or Trinidad, Barbados was the destination of few African-born slaves after 1800. Thus, African blacks became "Bajanized" relatively early on in the island's history. This tended to make them less resistant to local culture, with its Anglicised language, religion and customs.
Today, Bajan is a more popular regional term for nationals of Barbados, in addition to the official name, Barbadian
Barbadian
Barbadian may refer to anything of or relating to Barbados and may also refer directly to:* Barbadian football* Barbadian cuisine* Barbadian dollar, a currency used in Barbados ISO 4217 code "BBD"....
. In general, the people of Barbados speak standard British English on TV and radio, in courthouses, in government, and in day to day business, while Bajan is reserved for less formal situations, in music, or in social commentary. Standard English is a secondary native tongue of all Barbadians, and is usually used when talking formally. Barbadians may opt to speak Bajan amongst themselves or when in a very relaxed setting. Bajan is a primarily spoken language with no standardised written form. Due to the lack of standardisation, spelling may vary widely from person to person. There is much dialectal variation throughout the island. Bajan words and sentences presented below are largely spelled as they are pronounced.
Features
As in most English-based Caribbean creoles, the interdentalDental fricative
The dental fricative or interdental fricative is a fricative consonant pronounced with the tip of the tongue against the teeth. There are two types, both written as th in English:*Voiced dental fricative *Voiceless dental fricative...
s /θ/ and /ð/ have merged with other consonants (in this case, /t/ and /d/, respectively. Unlike most other Caribbean creoles, Bajan is rhotic
Rhotic and non-rhotic accents
English pronunciation can be divided into two main accent groups: a rhotic speaker pronounces a rhotic consonant in words like hard; a non-rhotic speaker does not...
. Bajan has a strong tendency to realize word-final /t/ as a glottal stop
Glottal stop
The glottal stop, or more fully, the voiceless glottal plosive, is a type of consonantal sound used in many spoken languages. In English, the feature is represented, for example, by the hyphen in uh-oh! and by the apostrophe or [[ʻokina]] in Hawaii among those using a preservative pronunciation of...
[ʔ]. Thus the Bajan pronunciation of start, [stɑːɹʔ], contrasts sharply with the pronunciation of other Caribbean speakers, [staːt] or [stɑːt] or [staːɹt].
The word for you (plural) is wuna, similar to Jamaican unnu / unna or Bahamian yinna. Unlike Standard English, Bajan tends towards using a zero copula
Zero copula
Zero copula is a linguistic phenomenon whereby the subject is joined to the predicate without overt marking of this relationship...
.
Questions are usually pronounced as a statement with a raised intonation
Intonation
Intonation may refer to:*Intonation , the variation of tone used when speaking*Intonation , a musician's realization of pitch accuracy, or the pitch accuracy of a musical instrument*Intonation Music Festival, held in Chicago...
; usually on the last word; to indicate that it is a question e.g. Wunna win de cricket? means "Did you (pl.) win the cricket match?"; dah you own? means "Is that yours?"
Habitual actions are usually indicated by the word does and done, for example I does guh church punna Sunduh means "I go to church on Sundays", or I done guh church pon Sunduh "I went to church on Sunday". It is quite common for this to be shortened to I's guh church pun Sunduh.
Verbs in Bajan are not conjugated for tense, which is inferred from time words e.g. I eat all de food yestuhday = "I ate all of the food yesterday", where the word yesterday indicates that the action happened in the past.
The word gine is usually used to mark the future tense e.g. I gine eat = "I am going to eat".
Ain't (frequently shortened to ain') is used as a negative marker e.g. "I didn't do that" becomes I ain' do dat/dah. It is not uncommon for the I and the ain' to be pronounced in Bajan as "Ah'n" i.e. "Ah'n do dah" or "Ah'n able".
Proverbs
Bajan is peppered with a number of colourful proverbs and sayings that have been passed down through the generations. These are just a few examples below:| Proverbs | Meaning |
|---|---|
| De higha de monkey climb, de more he show he tail | The more you show off the more you show your faults The more successful someone becomes the more they will show their true colours |
| Gol' (gold) teet (teeth) doan suit hog mout (mouth) | Fancy things don't suit those that aren't accustomed to them |
| Cat luck ain' dog luck | What one person may get away with may cause problems for another |
| Wuh ain' see you, ain' pass you | Just because you got away with something so far does not mean that it won't catch up with you later |
| Ef greedy wait hot wud (would) cool | Patience will be rewarded |
African words in Bajan
According to the EthnologueEthnologue
Ethnologue: Languages of the World is a web and print publication of SIL International , a Christian linguistic service organization, which studies lesser-known languages, to provide the speakers with Bibles in their native language and support their efforts in language development.The Ethnologue...
, Bajan has "fewer than 20 lexical items that are traceable to an African origin".
wunna: You all from the Igbo
Igbo language
Igbo , or Igbo proper, is a native language of the Igbo people, an ethnic group primarily located in southeastern Nigeria. There are approximately 20 million speakers that are mostly in Nigeria and are primarily of Igbo descent. Igbo is a national language of Nigeria. It is written in the Latin...
word unu, which means You (Plural)
bim: Nickname for Barbados, derived from Igbo 'Ndi Ibem' or 'Ibem' meaning 'My people'
obeah
Obeah
Obeah is a term used in the West Indies to refer to folk magic, sorcery, and religious practices derived from West African, and specifically Igbo origin. Obeah is similar to other African derived religions including Palo, Voodoo, Santería, rootwork, and most of all hoodoo...
: From Igbo Obia, 'doctoring, mysticism, or oracle'
doppy: From Twi
Twi
Asante, or Ashanti, is one of three literary dialects of the Akan language of southern Ghana, and the prestige dialect of that language. It is spoken in and around Kumasi, the capital of the former Ashanti Empire and current subnational Asante Kingdom within Ghana.Along with the Akuapem dialect,...
Adope
Cou-Cou: Part of the local national dish
National dish
A national dish is a dish, food or a drink that is considered to represent a particular country, nation or region.A dish can become a national dish for a variety of reasons. It can be the national dish because it is a staple daily food for the majority of the population. It can also be the national...
, but comes from "Fou Fou" in Africa.
nyam: (Pronounced "ng-yam") or "Yamm--") which means to eat ravenously or greedily, as in, "Don't yamm- the food like that boy!" – In Manjaku (language spoken in Guinea-Bissau
Guinea-Bissau
The Republic of Guinea-Bissau is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Senegal to the north, and Guinea to the south and east, with the Atlantic Ocean to its west....
) and in Pulaar
Pulaar
Pulaar is a Fula language spoken primarily as a first language by Fula people and Tukolor in the Senegal River valley area traditionally known as Futa Tooro, and further south and east...
it means to chew
Further reading
- Blake, Renee A. 1997. All o’ we is one? Race, class and language in a Barbados community. Ph. D., Stanford University.
- Burrowes, Audrey (in collaboration with Richard Allsopp). 1983. Barbadian Creole: A note on its social history and structure. In Lawrence Carrington, Dennis Craig, & Ramon Todd Dandaré , eds., Studies in Caribbean Language. St. Augustine, Trinidad: Society for Caribbean Linguistics, 38-45.
- Fields, Linda. 1995. "Early Bajan: Creole or non-Creole?" In Jacques Arends, ed., The early stages of creolization. Amsterdam, Philadelphia: Benjamins, 89-112.
- Holm, John A. 1988. Pidgins and creoles, vol. II: Reference Survey. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
- Rickford, John R. 1992. "The Creole residue in Barbados". In Nick Doane, Joan Hall, & Dick Ringler, eds. Old English and new: Essays in language and linguistics in honor of Frederic G. Cassidy. NY: Garland, 183-201.
- Rickford, John R. & Renee Blake. 1990. "Copula contraction and absence in Barbadian Creole English, Samaná English and Vernacular Black English". In Kira Hall et al., eds. Proceedings of the 16th Annual Meeting of the Berkeley Linguistics Society. Berkeley CA: Berkeley Linguistics Society, 257-68.
- Rickford, John R and Jerome S. Handler. 1994. "Textual evidence on the nature of early Barbadian speech, 1676–1835". Journal of Pidgin and Creole Languages 9: 221-55.
- Roberts, Peter A. 1988. "West Indians and their language". Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. (written by a Bajan)
- Winford, Donald. 2000. "‘Intermediate’ Creoles and degrees of change in Creole formation: The case of Bajan". In I Neumann-Holzschuh and EW Schneider, eds., Degrees of restructuring in Creole languages. Amsterdam, Philadelphia: Benjamins, 215-245.
- A~Z of Barbados Heritage, by Sean Carrington, Macmillan Caribbean – Macmillan Publishers Limited Press, 2007, paperback, ISBN 0-333-92068-6
- Notes for: A Glossary of Words and Phrases of Barbadian Dialect, by Frank A. Collymore, Second Edition – Advocate Co. Limited Press, 1957, paperback
- From Bajan To Standard English, by Jerome Davis
- Barbadian Dialect Poetry, by Kathleen Catford
See also
- Queen's EnglishReceived PronunciationReceived Pronunciation , also called the Queen's English, Oxford English or BBC English, is the accent of Standard English in England, with a relationship to regional accents similar to the relationship in other European languages between their standard varieties and their regional forms...
- British EnglishBritish EnglishBritish English, or English , is the broad term used to distinguish the forms of the English language used in the United Kingdom from forms used elsewhere...
- English in BarbadosEnglish in BarbadosThe Barbadian English or Bajan English is a dialect of the English Language used by Barbadians and by Barbadian Diasporas. It should not be confused with Bajan Creole, which is an English-based creole language.-Pronunciation:...
- Gullah languageGullah languageGullah is a creole language spoken by the Gullah people , an African American population living on the Sea Islands and the coastal region of the U.S...
- English-based creole languagesEnglish-based creole languagesAn English-based creole language is a creole language that was significantly influenced by the English language...
- Barbadian cultureCulture of BarbadosThe culture of Barbados is a blend of West African and British cultures present in Barbados. The Bajan, or Barbadian dialect is an iconic part of the culture. But English is still the official language, reflecting centuries of British rule....
- Music of BarbadosMusic of BarbadosThe music of Barbados includes distinctive national styles of folk and popular music, including elements of Western classical and religious music...
External links
- Caribbean Poetry-Barbados
- http://www.barbadosdialect.page.tl : Introduces the book "From Bajan To Standard English". Highlights Bajan Dialect. See 50 common Bajan expressions
- Reflections of Barbados (A RADIO PROGRAMME - AUDIO ONLY), The Barbados Government Information Service - Example of short stories in Bajan