SAMMY’S PRIVATE CAPE TUTORING

COMMUNICATIONS STUDIES – MODULE 2- DIALECTAL VARIATION – GRAMMAR

In structural linguistics, the concept of “markedness” refers to the way in which the

meanings of words are changed by adding some special feature to it.

When a word is unmarked, there is no special meaning, hence the word is neutral.

In Standard English words are marked to show differences in meanings, but in Creole

English, words remain unmarked.

Markers may include:

1. Plural forms of the word such as with nouns and verbs.

2. The tense of a word.

3. The gender of the word.

4. Adjectives attached.

MARKED VS UNMARKED VERBS

a. The present tense of the verb is unmarked – walk, talk,

b. If “ed” is added, then it’s a marker to show that the verb is now past tense:

walked, talked.

c. If “ing” is added, then it’s a marker to indicate present participle, or that the

action is currently being done: walking, talking.

d. If “s” is added, then the verb is marked to show singularity: walks, talks.

MARKED AND UNMARKED NOUNS

a. Regular nouns- add “s.” For example – 1 car 2 cars or 1 dog 2 dogs.

b. Ends with s, ch, sh, x, and z. Add “es” to make it plural such as:

Bus – buses, match – matches, dish-dishes, box – boxes, buzz – buzzes.

c. Ends with vowel + Y. To make plural add “s” – day – days, key – keys, boy – boys.
 SAMMY’S PRIVATE CAPE TUTORING
COMMUNICATIONS STUDIES – MODULE 2- DIALECTAL VARIATION – GRAMMAR
d. Ends with a consonant + Y. To make plural add “ies.” City-cities, baby-babies,

story-stories.

e. Ends with vowel – add “s” - zoo- zoos, radio – radios.

f. Ends with a consonant + o. To make plural, add “es.” – hero-heroes, echo-echoes,

tomato- tomatoes.

g. Ends with f or fe, add “ves” to make it plural. Leaf – leaves, life – lives.

h. Irregular nouns

SINGULAR PLURAL

Man 2 men

Child 2 Children

Foot 2 feet

Tooth 2 teeth

1 mouse 2 mice

COPULA VERBS VS AUXILIARY VERBS

COPULA

A copula is a verb that joins the subject of the sentence or clause to a subject

complement. A copula verb is used sometimes used to join an adjective to a noun. It is

used to link qualities or characteristics to someone or something. Usually, a copula verb

is followed by extra information about a noun, adjective, among others.

Some copula verbs include: is, sound, look, grow, feel, become, remain, smell, stay

prove, seem, taste, turn, sit, appear, and keep.

The sky IS blue.

Steven LOOKS happy.

She SEEMED sad.

Mary FOUND the place to be quite nice.

School used to MAKE me FEEL depressed.

 SAMMY’S PRIVATE CAPE TUTORING
COMMUNICATIONS STUDIES – MODULE 2- DIALECTAL VARIATION – GRAMMAR
AUXILIARY

An auxiliary or helping verb is used to assist the main verb. Three main auxiliary verbs

include: DO, BE, HAVE. Verbs may happen in the past, present and the future and thus

some auxiliary verbs include: am, is, are, was, were, being, been, be, has, have, had, did,

shall, will, should, would, may, might, must, can, could, does, do, need.

He IS writing to the officer.

Instantly, she WAS depressed by the news.

His girlfriend DID not know anything about it.

I AM going on a trip.

NEGATORS

This refers to a word that is used to express the idea of “NO” such as not, no, none,

never, nowhere, nothing, hardly, doesn’t, isn’t, wasn’t, can’t, don’t.

CHECKLIST OF ENGLISH CREOLE RULES

1. Unmarked form pluralization – It have real WOMAN out dey.

2. Verbs unmarked – De bird SING nice.
3. Zero use of Copula – She nice or She bess.
4. Zero use of Auxiliary – Ah going on de trip.
5. Absence of the plural marker “s” or “es” for plural nouns, instead in some cases
“dem” is used- dem mango ripe
6. Absence of the negators common in Standard English. Instead the use of nah, na,
aint, doh, eh eh.
7. Use of double negatives, which are not allowed in standard English- me nah know
nah.
8. Reduplication for emphasis – she back back. All yuh chook up chook up.
9. The use of gender neutral nouns – look ah female lion. Look ah female goat.
10. Absence of markers for adjectives in the comparative and superlative degrees. –
you more tall dan he. It more big dan dat.
 SAMMY’S PRIVATE CAPE TUTORING
COMMUNICATIONS STUDIES – MODULE 2- DIALECTAL VARIATION – GRAMMAR
Characteristics of Grammar

English Creole Caribbean Standard English

i. Unmarked count nouns with
generic meaning, for example,
mango sweet
ii. Unmarked action verbs with past Past-marked action verbs with past time
time reference, for example, she reference, for example, she pinched me
pinch me and run outside
iii. Preverbal markers, for example,
ben/bin/wen/did (past marker),
go (future marker), a (marker of
continuous and habitual),does
(marker of habitual)
iv. Subject-adjective structures
which does not have the Copula,
for example, mi sick, di mango
sweet
v. Subject-verb word order in
question formation, together
with rising intonation, for
example, you done cook di
food?
vi. No voiceless ‘th’ sound at the
end of words or syllables; a ‘t’ or
‘f’ sound instead, as, for
example, in fif, wit/wif
Pluralised count nouns with generic
meaning, for example, mangoes are sweet
and ran outside
Auxiliaries and suffixes, for example, did/-
ed (past), will/shall (future), ing
(continuous), simple present tense forms
(cook, cooks)
Subject-copula-adjective structures, for
example, I am sick, the mango is sweet
Inversion of subject and auxiliary in
question formation together with rising
intonation, for example, have you
finished cooking the food?
Voiceless ‘th’ sound at the end of words
or syllables, as, for example, in fifth, with