| Turks and Caicos Creole | |
|---|---|
| Caicosian Patwah | |
| Turks and Caicos Patwah | |
| Native to | Turks and Caicos Islands |
Native speakers | 49,309 (2023) [1] |
English Creole
| |
| Official status | |
| Regulated by | not regulated |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | tch |
| Glottolog | turk1310 |
| Linguasphere | 52-ABB-ao |
Turks and Caicos Creole, or Turks and Caicos Patwah, also called Caicosian Patwah, is an English-based creole spoken in the Turks and Caicos Islands; a West Indian territory in the Lucayan Archipelago.
The Turks and Caicos Island Creole variety has not been thoroughly studied, but is a dialect of Jamaican Patwah which shares many of the same words such as Aks (Ask), Dis (This), Gyal (Girl), and Mosi (Must be); [2] which is due to the fact that the Turks and Caicos Islands were formally a part of Jamaica for over 114 years (1848 - 1962), and shares a common Cromanty heritage with Jamaica. [3] [4] [5] Caicosian Patwah has also been influenced by Bermudian Creole English, as the islands were initially settled by Bermudian salt-rakers following the Taíno genocide and British colonization, and were a de facto part of Bermuda for over 126 years (1673 - 1799). [6] [7] The language is also reportedly mutually intelligible with Bahamian Creole and as of (2023) the number of speakers of Caicosian Patwah is approximately 49,309. [8] [9]
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Aks * | Ask |
| Chile | Used to represent emphasis on a sentence (well chile he een tell me nuttin bout that) |
| Chyl / Chyln ** | Child / Children |
| Dis * | This |
| Een ** | aren't (They een goin today), or isn't (That een right), or don't (I een no nuttin bout that), or haven't |
| Gyal * | Girl |
| Kech * | Catch |
| Kottarugl * | Dance |
| Mesple | Mammee apple |
| Mosi * | Must be |
| Ripsaw | Mento [10] / Burru [11] |
| Scotch | Burn / Scratch |
| Switcha | Lemonade / Limeade / Soft drink |
| Tingz * | Things |
| Tarekly | Tomorrow |
| Val / Vel ** | Well (usually the 'W' and 'V' are exchanged with each other, e.g. vednesday: Wednesday, weil: veil) |
(Shared: Turks & Caicos / Jamaican Patwah) *
(Shared: Turks & Caicos / Bermudian Patwah) **
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The Turks and Caicos Islands are a British Overseas Territory consisting of the larger Caicos Islands and smaller Turks Islands, two groups of tropical islands in the Lucayan Archipelago of the Atlantic Ocean and northern West Indies. They are known primarily for tourism and as an offshore financial centre. The resident population in 2023 was estimated by The World Factbook at 59,367, making it the third-largest of the British overseas territories by population. However, according to a Department of Statistics estimate in 2022, the population was 47,720.
The British West Indies (BWI) were colonised British territories in the West Indies: Anguilla, the Cayman Islands, Turks and Caicos Islands, Montserrat, the British Virgin Islands, Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Barbados, Dominica, Grenada, Jamaica, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, British Honduras, British Guiana and Trinidad and Tobago. Bermuda was also included as one of the territories.
Caribbean English is a set of dialects of the English language which are spoken in the Caribbean and most countries on the Caribbean coasts of Central America and South America. Caribbean English is influenced by, but is distinct to the English-based creole languages spoken in the region. Though dialects of Caribbean English vary structurally and phonetically across the region, all are primarily derived from British English and West African languages. In some countries with a plurality Indian population, such as Trinidad and Tobago and Guyana, Caribbean English has further been influenced by Hindustani and other South Asian languages.
Bermudian English is a regional dialect of English found in Bermuda, a British overseas territory in the Western Atlantic. Standard English is used in professional settings and in writing, while vernacular Bermudian English is spoken on more casual occasions. The Bermudian dialect began to develop following settlement in the early 17th century and retains traits of Elizabethan English.
The English-speaking world comprises the 88 countries and territories in which English is an official, administrative, or cultural language. In the early 2000s, between one and two billion people spoke English, making it the largest language by number of speakers, the third largest language by number of native speakers and the most widespread language geographically. The countries in which English is the native language of most people are sometimes termed the Anglosphere. Speakers of English are called Anglophones.
Before European colonization, the Turks and Caicos Islands were inhabited by Taíno and Lucayan peoples. The first recorded European sighting of the islands now known as the Turks and Caicos occurred in 1512. In the subsequent centuries, the islands were claimed by several European powers with the British Empire eventually gaining control. For many years the islands were governed indirectly through Bermuda, the Bahamas, and Jamaica. When the Bahamas gained independence in 1973, the islands received their own governor, and have remained a separate autonomous British Overseas Territory since. In August 2009, the United Kingdom suspended the Turks and Caicos Islands' self-government following allegations of ministerial corruption. Home rule was restored in the islands after the November 2012 elections.
Bajan, or Bajan Creole, is an English-based creole language with West/Central African and British influences spoken on the Caribbean island of Barbados. Bajan is primarily a spoken language, meaning that in general, standard English is used in print, in the media, in the judicial system, in government, and in day-to-day business, while Bajan is reserved for less formal situations, in music, or in social commentary. Ethnologue reports that, as of 2018, 30,000 Barbadians were native English speakers, while 260,000 natively spoke Bajan.
Ripsaw is a style of Mento, which originates from the Turks and Caicos Islands. A very closely related variant, rake-and-scrape, is played in the Bahamas. Its most distinctive characteristic is the use of the common handsaw as the primary instrument, along with various kinds of drums, box guitar, concertina, triangle and accordion.
Jamaican Patois is an English-based creole language with West African, Taíno, Irish, Scots, Scottish Gaelic, Spanish, Hindustani, Portuguese, Chinese, and German influences, spoken primarily in Jamaica and among the Jamaican diaspora. Words or slang from Jamaican Patois can be heard in other Caribbean countries, the United Kingdom, New York City and Miami in the United States, and Toronto, Canada. The majority of non-English words in Patois derive from the West African Akan language. It is spoken by the majority of Jamaicans as a native language.
Bocas del Toro Creole, or Panamanian Patwah, also called Colón Creole, or Río Abajo Creole, is a dialect of Jamaican Patois, an English-based creole, spoken predominantly in the Provinces of Bocas del Toro and Colón, along with the Río Abajo district of Panama City. It is similar to Central American varieties such as Limonese Creole, but does not yet have the status of an official language.
Mískito Coast Creole, or Miskito Patwah, also called Nicaraguan Creole English, is an English-based creole language spoken in coastal Nicaraguan region of Mosquito Coast on the Caribbean Sea; its approximately 40,000 speakers are spread over the RACCN and RACCS regions of Nicaragua. The region, known before 1986 as the Zelaya department, is today administratively separated into two autonomous regions: North Caribbean Coast (RACCN) and South Caribbean Coast (RACCS). Mosquito is the nickname that is given to the region and earlier residents by early Europeans who visited and settled in the area. The term "Miskito" is now more commonly used to refer to both the people and the language.
Limonese Creole, or Limonese Patwah, also called Limón Creole English, or Limonese, or alternatively Mekatelyu, is a dialect of Jamaican Patois, an English-based creole language, spoken in Limón Province on the Caribbean Sea coast of Costa Rica. The number of native speakers is unknown, but 1986 estimates suggests that there are fewer than 60,000 native and second language speakers combined.
San Andrés–Providencia Creole, or Raizal Patwah, also called Raizal Creole, is an English-based creole spoken in The Raizal Islands by the indigenous Raizal people; which is a dialect of Jamaican Patwah with notable similarities to Belizean Creole, Caymanian Creole English, and Miskito Coastal Creole. Similar to other English creoles its vocabulary originates from the English-lexifier, but it primarily uses Jamaican Patwah phonetics which includes many words and expressions from West African Kwa languages. The language is also known as "Bende", or "San Andrés Creole", and as of (2018) the number of native speakers of Raizal Patwah is approximately 25,515.
Bay Islands English is a variety of English spoken in the Bay Islands Department. Ethnologue reported that there were 22,500 native speakers in 2001.
An English-based creole language is a creole language for which English was the lexifier, meaning that at the time of its formation the vocabulary of English served as the basis for the majority of the creole's lexicon. Most English creoles were formed in British colonies, following the great expansion of British naval military power and trade in the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries. The main categories of English-based creoles are Atlantic and Pacific.
Bahamian Creole, also described as the Bahamian dialect, is spoken by both white and black Bahamians, sometimes in slightly different forms. The Bahamian dialect also tends to be more prevalent in certain areas of The Bahamas. Islands that were settled earlier or that have a historically large Black Bahamian population have a greater concentration of individuals exhibiting creolized speech; the dialect is most prevalent in urban areas. Individual speakers have command of lesser and greater dialect forms.
The languages of North America reflect not only that continent's indigenous peoples, but the European colonization as well. The most widely spoken languages in North America are English, Spanish, and to a lesser extent French, and especially in the Caribbean, creole languages lexified by them.
Coromantee, or Cromanty, also called Coromantins, or Koromanti, is the name for the ethnic group who were abducted from the Gold Coast, and taken to Jamaica during the Atlantic slave trade. The descendants of the Cromanty are now the predominant ethnic group in Jamaica, Bermuda, Cayman Islands, the Raizal Islands, and the Turks and Caicos Islands.
Cayman Islands English, or Caymanian Patwah, also called Caymanian Creole English, is a semi-creolised form of Jamaican English spoken in the Cayman Islands. While not much has been written on Cayman Islands Creole English, according to one text, it "seems to have borrowed English-based creole features similar to Jamaican Patois, Bay Islands English and San Andrés and Providencia Creole without having undergone creolization". African-American vernacular English and Jamaican Patois have also heavily influenced the way younger Caymanians speak.
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