Guyanese Creole language
Encyclopedia
Guyanese Creole is an English-based creole language spoken by people in Guyana
.
Guyanese is an English lexified language with influences from Dutch, 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 geographical location, urban/ rural divide and race of the speakers. For example, along the Rupununi
River where the population is largely Amerindian, a distinct form of Guyanese Creole exists. The Georgetown (capital city) urban area has a distinct accent while within a forty-five minutes drive away from this area the dialect/accent changes again, especially if following the coast where rural villages are located.
As with other Caribbean languages, words and phrases are very elastic, and new ones can be made up, changed or evolve within a 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:
.
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.
"Come now now" translates into "come right now"
Guyana
Guyana , officially the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, previously the colony of British Guiana, is a sovereign state on the northern coast of South America that is culturally part of the Anglophone Caribbean. Guyana was a former colony of the Dutch and of the British...
.
Guyanese is an English lexified language with influences from Dutch, West African Languages, Arawakan and Carib languages, and to a lesser extent Indian languages. It is related to Paramaccan
Paramaccan
The Paramaccan are an ethnic group living in the forested interior of Suriname, mainly in the Marowijne District, and the eponymous term for their language, which has less than 1,000 speakers. The language is English-based with influences from Portuguese and other languages. It is similar to the...
and Aluku
Aluku
The Aluku or Boni is the name of a Maroon ethnic group living mainly on the riverbank in Maripasoula, southwest French Guiana, and the eponymous term for their language, which has more than 5,000 speakers. They are mostly descended from former slaves from Suriname Paramaribo, who escaped and...
.
There are many sub-dialects of Guyanese Creole based on geographical location, urban/ rural divide and race of the speakers. For example, along the Rupununi
Rupununi
Rupununi is a river and region in southern Guyana, South America, originating in the Kanuku Mountains. The Rupununi River runs from near the Brazilian border into the Essequibo River. The river during the flood season actually shares a watershed with the Amazon...
River where the population is largely Amerindian, a distinct form of Guyanese Creole exists. The Georgetown (capital city) urban area has a distinct accent while within a forty-five minutes drive away from this area the dialect/accent changes again, especially if following the coast where rural villages are located.
As with other Caribbean languages, words and phrases are very elastic, and new ones can be made up, changed or evolve within a 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
Post-creole speech continuum
The Post-creole continuum or simply creole continuum refers to a situation wherein a creole language consists of a spectrum of varieties between those most and least similar to the superstrate language...
also exists between Guyanese English and English. A phrase like "I told him" may be pronounced in various parts of the continuum:
| Utterance | Represents the speech of |
|---|---|
| [ai tɔuld hɪm] | acrolect speech of upper-class speakers |
| [ai toːld hɪm] | mesolect varieties of speech of middle-class speakers |
| [ai toːl ɪm] | mesolect varieties of lower-middle and urban class speakers |
| [ai tɛl ɪm] | |
| [a tɛl ɪm] | |
| [ai tɛl ɪ] | |
| [a tɛl i] | |
| [mi tɛl i] | rural working class |
| [mi tɛl am] | basilect speech of illiterate rural laborers. |
English Taught in Guyanese Schools
English taught in the schools of Guyana is based on British EnglishBritish English
British 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...
.
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 words and phrases
- a go do it - Literally: "I go do it" - 'I will do it'
- dem a waan sting yu waan bil - Literally: "Them a want sting you one bill" - 'they usually want to take money from you'
- evri de mi a ron a raisfil - Literally: "Every day me a run a ricefield" - 'Every day I hurry to the ricefield'
- i bin get gon - Literally: "I been get gun" - 'he had the gun'
- i wuda tek awi lil taim but awi bin go kom out seef - Literally: "I would've take 'a'-we l'il [as in "little"] time but 'a'-we been go come out safe" - 'it would have taken us a little time but we would have come out all right'
- mi a wok abak - Literally: "me a work 'a'-back" - 'I'm working further inland'
- suurin - a form of courtship