Caribbean English Creole

Development
• Creole language is formed when multiple languages come into contact with each other to form a
new dialect or language
• Examples: Bahamian Creole, Jamaican Patois, Haitian Creole, Gullah, Tok Pisin
• Caribbean Creole languages are a product of the mixture of the language of the colonisers and
African languages of the enslaved people
• Enslaved people came from different parts of Africa so they didn’t speak the same language, but
they had to learn English and communicate with each other. In order to do so, they formed their
own language which we now call “patois”
• They mixed their native languages with English or other languages of their colonisers
• Though Caribbean countries may use different words at times, Caribbean creole has a common
structure regardless of which island they are from.

Distinctive Features
Grammar

ZERO COUPULA
• The omission of auxiliary or “helping verbs” from sentences.
• Auxiliaries: is, are, was, were, have
• Example
• CarE - “Some a dem big”
• AmE - “Some of them are big”

UNMARKED COUNT
• Using the singular form of nouns to indicate their plural.
• Example
• CarE
• A: “Yuh like mango?”
• B: “Yea man! Mango sweet!”
• Here, both speakers are referring to mangoes in general, not a specific mango
• AmE
• A: “Do you like mangoes”
• B: “Yes! Mangoes are sweet!”

UNMARKED ACTION VERBS

• Removing “ed” from words in the past tense.
• Example
• CarE
• A: “Wah happen to yuh bredda?”
• B: “She slap mi!”
• AmE
• A: “What happened to you?”
• B: “She slapped me!”

PRE-VERBAL MARKERS
• Adding words before words to indicate tenses.
• Example
• A: “Tom, yuh do yuh homework yet?”
• B: “Mi bin/ ben a do the homework” = I have been doing the homework
• “Mi aguh do the homework” = I am going to do the homework
• “Mi did do the homework” = I already did the homework
• “Mi a do the homework” = I am doing the homework right now

OMISSION OF THE VOICELESS ‘TH”

• Not changing the “th” at the end of words to something else.
• Example
• * a strangers offers you a ride *
• CarE: “Mi nah guh nowhere wid yuh!”
• AmE: “I’m not going anywhere with you!”

DOUBLE NEGATIVES
• Using two negative words in a sentence
• Example
• CarE: “Mi nuh want nothing fi drink”
• AmE: “I don’t want anything to drink”

Sound - Jamaican Patois

SINGLE VOWELS
• /ɑː/ is more forward (start, farther)
• /ɑː/ - [a:]
• /ʌ/ is more closed (strut, mud, love, blood)
• /ʌ/ - [Ɵ]
• /ɔ:/ - is more open (law, north, war)
• /ɔ:/ - [ɔ:]
• /ə/ “schwa” - more open in word final position (the, photography, tiger)
• /ə/ - [ɒ]
• Example - “Run the bath water”
• BrE: /rʌn/ /ðə/ /bɑːθ/ /‘wɔ:tə/
• JmE: [rƟn] [ðɒ] [ba:θ] [‘wɔ:tɒ]

NEAR-SQUARE MERGER
• /ɪə/ (near, here) and /eə/ (square, fair) dipthongs merge
• /ɪə/, /eə/ = [e:ɹ] - both pronounce as long r coloured vowel sounds (enter, dollar, nature)
• Example - “The bear drinks beer”
• BrE: /ðə/ /beə/ /drɪŋks/ /bɪə/
• JmE: [ðɒ] [be:ɹ] [drɪŋks] [be:ɹ]

DIPTHONGS
• /eɪ/ and /ʊə/ (poor, jury, cure) diphthongs are pronounced as long vowel sounds
• /aʊ/ (mouth, now) and /aɪ/ (price, high, try) dipthongs start from a more central position
• Example - “I know how to play”
• BrE: /aɪ/ /nəʊ/ /haʊ/ /tuː/ /pleɪ/
• JmE: [eɪ] [no:] [hƟʊ] [tɒ] [ple:]

CONSONANTS
• Significant H-dropping and TH-dropping
• /k/ and /g/ sound palletised before the /æ/ and /ɑː/ sound
• /k/ = [Kʲ], /g/ = [gʲ]
• Final consonant clusters are often simplified by eliding (joining together) the final consonants
• Example - “He drives that car”
• BrE: /hiː/ /draɪvz/ /ðæt/ /kɑː/
• JmE: [i] [drəiv] [dat] [Kʲa:]

RHOTICITY
• Jamaican English is variably rhotic - the letter “r” may be pronounced even when it’s not followed
by a vowel
• Although there are no strict rules, it is more common at the end of words unless the proceeding
vowel sounds are /a:/ or /ə/
• Example - “There’s far more water here”
• BrE: /ðeəz/ /fɑː/ /mɔː/ /ˈwɔːtə/ /hɪə/
• JmE: [deəz] [fa:] [mɔːr] [ˈwɔːtɒ] [he:r]

Jamaican Phrases & Slang

• Don’t bother me – Nuh Badda Mi • Turn there – tun deh so

• It is mine – A Fi Mi • Thank You – tanks
• Good Looking Girl – Criss Ting • Girlfriend – Dawta
• Just a little – Jus a toops • Fantastic – Irie
• Con Artist – Ginnal • Children – Pinckney
• Look at that – Coo Deh • Father – Fahda
• Can you please – A Beg Yuh • Mother – Madda
• Leave me Alone – Lef Mi • Right here – yahso
• Oh My Gosh – Jessum Peace • I am okay – ya man
• Excuse Me – Jus a word • Serve you just right – ah good
• Can I pass – Beg yuh pass • Wow – Blouse an skirt
• Take Care – Walk Good • Take my picture – “Tek Mi Picha”
• Hey there – Pssst • Happy Birthday – Happy Earth Strong