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Bajan

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Bajan or Barbadian Creole (as called on Wikipedia) is an English-based creole language spoken by persons on the West Indian island of Barbados. Bajan uses a mixture of West African idioms and expressions along with English to produce a unique Barbadian/West Indian vocabulary and speech pattern. Bajan is easily distinguishable from the dialects of neighbouring Caribbean islands, as many of the other Caribbean islands are based on Irish- or Scottish-based English pronunciation such as Jamaican Creole.

Bajan uses a mixture of English and/or West African syntax, with much of the pronunciation of words sharing similarities to persons from Liverpool, England. Bajan was first created when West African slaves were brought to the island and forced to speak English, with a existing West African understanding of language symantics. Bajan later became a means of communicating without always being understood by the slave masters. Unlike other Caribbean creoles, Bajan is rhotic and has a strong tendency to realize word-final /t/ as [ʔ]. Thus the Bajan pronunciation of start, [stɑːɹʔ], contrasts sharply with the pronunciation of other Caribbean speakers, [staːt].

The word Bajan is merely a Bajan pronunciation of the word Barbadian ("Bar-bayyd-ian"); however, with the deeper accents which once prevailed in Barbados the word sounded more like Barbajan ("Bar-bayy-junn") and eventually it was just shortened to Bajan. For a short time before and after independence from Britain, Bajan was a somewhat negative term used to mean an un-educated Barbadian, but the term now is no longer still seen as such.

Today, Bajan is a popular term for citizens of Barbados, in addition to the official name, which is Barbadian. In general, the people of Barbados speak linguistically correct English on TV and radio, in courthouses, in government, and in day to day business, while the more relaxed dialect of Bajan is reserved for less formal situations. English is also usually used when talking formally or to tourists. Though English is the native tongue of all Barbadians, most native Barbadians opt to speak Bajan amongst themselves or when in a very relaxed setting.

Note: Asking a Barbadian to "speak Bajan" will usually receive little to no response.

Unlike some other West Indian Creoles, pluralization in Bajan is not done by adding dem at the end of a noun (eg "de people dem"), although in some cases "dem" may function as a definite article.

example-

Most of Bajan's lexicon is from or derived from English but their are lexical items that stem from other languages such as Twi or French.

Contents

Bajan Words

A

B

C

D

E

F

G

H

J

K

L

M

N

O

P

R

S

T

U

V

W

Y

Z

Common Bajan sayings

Another tradition that goes hand-in-hand with 'speaking bajan' are words of wisdom that usually get passed-down from parent to child. When these are told to young children they're often not fully understood. However, with a hightened maturity and age these often witty sayings are usually understood later on in life as part a part of ones morals and values.

Sample

See also

External links

* [Language of Barbados]
  • [from the Society of International Education journal, discusses the origins of Bajan language]

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