Salient features of Caribbean Creole English

HI, CAPESTERS. Last week we looked at the factors affecting language and the Caribbean language situation. This week, we are going to be answering the question that so many persons have asked: “Is Creole a language?” Now, given the historical context of the Caribbean, we must understand why there are many persons who do not consider Creole a language. However, having examined all seven characteristics, we realise that Creole fulfils them all. This week, we will be focusing on one of those characteristics – language as systematic. Before we go into that, let us get a clearer understanding of the concept of Creole.

WHAT IS CREOLE?

Creoles are defined as developed and relatively stable languages that have arisen through nativisation (belonging to a set of people) of pidgins. To understand Creoles, we must first understand pidgins – no, not the bird. A pidgin is a language that arises in a new contact situation involving more than two linguistic groups. The speakers have no shared language and develop the pidgin for some practical purpose; for example, trade, slavery. Pidgins become Creole languages when children learn them and when they are used in a wide range of speech situation. Therefore, Creoles are defined, as opposed to pidgins, as more complex, full-fledged and functionally unrestricted varieties. So, the main difference is that in terms of structure and vocabulary, the pidgin is limited and simple, while the Creole, over time, becomes complex and advanced, taking on a fully fledged structure, vocabulary and sound system.

THE SYSTEMATIC NATURE OF CREOLE

As we have now learnt, language is rule-governed. There are four main rules that govern language. They are:

■ Phonology – its system of sound.

■ Syntax – grammar/sentence structure/word order.

■ Morphology [lexicon and semantics] – meaning of, and formation of, words and phrases/vocabulary.

■ Pragmatics – practical use of language/contextual.

Let us examine how these rules feature in Caribbean Creole English.

PHONOLOGY

Now, we must recognise that a lot of Creole’s lexicon (vocabulary) is made up of English words, but how we pronounce them is different and this has been influenced by African languages. What, then, are some of the phonological (sound) rules in Creole?

■ Initial consonant clusters – ‘bw’ – bwai [boy], ‘cy’ – cyan/cyaan [can/can’t].

■ Devoiced final consonant clusters ‘an’ – [and], ‘wata’ – [water], ‘goin’ – [going].

■ Reordered final consonants

– ‘deks’ – [desk], ‘aks’ – [ask], ‘claps’ – [clasp].

■ Vowel insertion between ‘sm’ and ‘sn’ words – ‘sumell’ – [smell], ‘Simit’ – [Smith], ‘sinail’ – [snail].

■ Alteration of ‘v’ for ‘b’ & ‘f’ – ‘shub’ – [shove], ‘bex’ – [vex], ‘neibl’ – [navel].

■ Vowel alterations – ‘pat’ – [pot], ‘hass’ – [horse], ‘tideh’ – [today].

■ ‘H’ addition or omission - ‘appy’ – [happy], ‘ungry’ – [hungry], ‘aat’ – [heart], ‘iz’ – [his].

■ When ‘t’ is followed by ‘l’, it changes to ‘k’ – likkle’ – [little], ‘bokkle’ – [bottle],

■ When ‘d’ is followed by ‘l’ it changes to ‘g’ – ‘neegl’ – [needle], ‘magel’ – [model], ‘migel’ – [middle], ‘rigl’ – [riddle].

■ Aspirated (soft) ‘th’ changes to ‘t’ – ‘tank’ – [thank], ‘teet’ – [teeth], ‘antem’ – [anthem].

■ Un-aspirated (hard) ‘th’ changes to ‘d’ – ‘dem’ – [them], ‘dat’ – [that], ‘dese’ – [these], ‘dis’ – [this], ‘dere’ – [there].

■ Initial consonant blend devoiced – ‘tick’ – [stick], ‘tiff’ – [stiff], ‘tink’ – [stink], ‘tap’ – [stop], ‘pit’ – [spit].

SYNTAX

Just like any other language, Creole has its own set of rules regarding grammar. Let us examine them.

PLURALISATION

■ Use of ‘dem’ – [De pickney dem].

■ Use of ‘nuff ’ – [A nuff people,p.

■ Use of ‘some’ – [Mi want some apple].

■ Use of ‘ole iip’ – [A ole iipwi].

POSSESSION

■ Use of ‘fi’ – [A fi mi].

■ Use of ‘the person’s name’ – [A Bob hat].

■ Use of ‘the person’s sex’ – [Iz di man own].

■ Use of ‘the person’s title’ – [A di docta bag].

SERIAL VERB CONSTRUCTION

■ Clauses involving verbs of motion’[Cyari it come giv mi].

■ Clauses involving instrumental constructions’ – [Im tek tik lik and juk mi].

SENTENCE FOCUS

Highlighting specific elements within a sentence‘Iz Kim iit di bun’,‘Iz di bun Jan iit’, ‘Iz todeh Jan iit di bun’.

COPULA VERB CONSTRUCTIONS

Copula links the rest of the predicate to the subject. It is the verb ‘to be’ Use of the particle ‘a’: – [De buka fi mi] Use of ‘deh’: – [Caldehoom], Use of zero copula: – [Bobsik].

INDIRECT SPEECH

‘Sey’/ ‘Seh’ is used to indicate indirect speech:“Dem sey/seh dem naah seh so.”

PAST TENSE

■ Use of ‘yesideh’ – [yesterday] – (Mi pik plum yesideh)

■ Use of ‘did’ – [Im did sik/ {In some parts of the island ‘en’, ‘wen’, ‘ben’are used in place of ‘did’; in some cases ‘did a’ becomes ‘a en’}]

THE FUTURE TENSE

Formed by use of ‘go’, ‘a go’, ‘gwine’, or stating time – ‘Im go siddung till im tiad.’ ‘Mi a go caal yuh tomaaro’, ‘Mi gwine caal yuh layta’, ‘Im wud kom bak nex week’

EXPRESSING THE HABITUAL ACTION

‘Dey does giv im money all di time’ [Not J’cn – B’dn, Guy’se, Eastern Caribbean].

FORMING QUESTIONS

‘A’ is used at the start of sentences/ to introduce a question or tags are used – ‘A wha mek im gaan?

Use of question tags – ‘Mi du it good, nuh true?’

MORPHOLOGY

Let us look at the basics of word formation and meaning in creole.

■ Homonyms – Same word, different meaning.

■ Ignorant – irritable and lacking in self-control [lacking in knowledge].

■ Salad – tomato [cold dish of raw vegetables].

■ Tea – any hot beverage [beverage made from dried leaves].

■ Compound words – created to form nouns, adjectives & verbs [CALQUES]: ‘eye-water’, ‘hand-middle’, ‘neck-back’, ‘foot-bottom’.

ADJECTIVES

■ [PREDICATE ADJECTIVES]: ‘hard-ears’, ‘red-eye’, ‘force-ripe’, ‘sweet-mouth’.

■ Reduplication – ‘siki-siki’ [sickly]; ‘sik-sik’ [very sick]‘back-back’ [reverse]‘out-out’ [extinguish]‘chati-chati’ [chat/talk excessively].

■ Creole words adapted from other languages – Unnu [West African – Ibo] – you, Susu/Suss – [West African – Twi (susuw ka)] – to gossip, Bickle [English (victuals) – prepared food.

■ Jamaican indigenous words and expressions – ‘ital’ – without salt; ‘bups’ – a ‘sugar daddy’, ‘bununoonoos’ – lovely, sweet, beautiful.

■ Fixed phrases – ‘did feel a way’ – was embarrassed, ‘… pay… no mine’ – pay no attention.

Ensure that you become knowledgeable about these rules as they are important for the multiple-choice paper and the module two essay. Next week, we will be moving on to Writing the Module Two essay.