Bermudian English
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Bermudian English is a
Casual observers tend to have difficulty in placing the Bermudian dialect, as it differs from those that are clearly British, American, or Caribbean; they also note that the accent tends to vary between individuals.[3] To Americans, it sounds slightly English, while those from the British Isles find it more American.[4]
Categorisation
Bermudian English has been called "one of the most severely underresearched varieties of English".
Many West Indian workers immigrated to Bermuda during the 20th century, starting with hundreds of labourers brought in for the expansion of the Royal Naval Dockyard at the West End at the start of the century. Many others immigrated later in the century, settling mostly in Pembroke Parish and western Devonshire Parish, north of the City of Hamilton, and the "back of town" (of Hamilton) dialect and the English spoken by many blacks at the West End consequently reflects this. The West End also absorbed large numbers of civilian shipwrights and other workers from Britain who were employed at the dockyard until it was reduced to a base in 1951. The central parishes also absorbed considerable numbers of white immigrants from Britain and elsewhere, especially in the years following the Second World War (when the local government loosened immigration laws to encourage white immigration to counter the black immigration from the West Indies), speaking various varieties of Southern England English, Northern England English, and Scots, et cetera. The central parishes were also where most immigrants from Portuguese territories since the 1840s have settled, and many Bermudians in this area especially speak a Portuguese-influenced Bermudian English as a badge of pride, and most Bermudians without Portuguese ancestry can affect this way of speaking. The East End of Bermuda, which became increasingly cut off from investment and development after the capital moved from St. George's to Hamilton in 1815, has seen the least immigration during the course of the 20th century, with the least effect on the way English is spoken there, though the introduction of motor vehicles in 1948 has led to considerable spread of previously more isolated populations throughout Bermuda. The English of the St. David's Islanders, while often derided, is generally perceived as the most authentic form of Bermudian English.[original research?]
Phonology
The accent of Bermudian English has distinctive features in terms of tone, rhythm, and vowel pronunciation.
- In Bermudian English, the phenomenon known as "Th fronting" can occur in the digraph "th." This means that the sounds /θ/ (as in "thin") and /ð/ (as in "then") can be pronounced as /f/ and /v/ respectively in certain contexts. However, it is important to note that this variation can vary among individual speakers and may not be a consistent feature throughout the Bermudian dialect.
- Tone: The accent of Bermudian English is often described as melodic and smooth. Bermudian speakers tend to use a rising intonation in phrases, meaning that the pitch of their voice rises towards the end of the sentence. This can give a sense of friendliness and politeness in communication.
- Rhythm: The rhythm of Bermudian English is distinct and can be perceived as more relaxed and leisurely compared to other varieties of English. Pauses between words and phrases tend to be longer, contributing to a slower and cadenced rhythm in speech.
- Lengthened vowels: Vowels in Bermudian English are often pronounced with an extended duration compared to other varieties of English. This means that vowels are pronounced with a longer length, giving them a clearer and more distinct sound.
- Pronunciation of "a": The vowel "a" in words like "bath" and "dance" is often pronounced as a variation of "ah" or "aw". For example, "bath" may sound more like "bahth" and "dance" like "dahns".
- Pronunciation of "r": Bermudian English, like many other varieties of British English, is non-rhotic. In Bermudian English, the "r" at the end of words or before a pause tends to be vocalized or even omitted, similar to other Caribbean English accents. For example, "car" may sound more like "cah" or "ca".
- "R" Vocalization: In certain positions within a word, the "r" sound may be vocalized or replaced with a vowel. For instance, "bird" may sound more like "buhd."
- "H" Aspiration: The letter "h" at the beginning of a word is pronounced with a slight aspiration or can be completely silent. For example, "house" may be pronounced as "haʊs" or even "ʊs."
- Vowel Glide: Some vowels in Bermudian English may glide towards other vowels. For instance, the sound "i" in words like "fight" may sound more like "e."
- Vowel Shortening: Occasionally, vowels in Bermudian English can be shortened or reduced. This means that vowels may sound shorter than they would in other varieties of English. For example, "later" may sound more like "lay-tuh."
- Intervocalic "R" Retention: Unlike Standard British English, Bermudian English retains the pronunciation of "r" in intervocalic positions. For example, "carrot" would be pronounced as "ka-rut."
The dialect's most evident characteristic is a variation in letter/sound assignment. The switching of [v] and [w],
Grammar
- Verb Conjugation: Bermudian English generally follows the standard English verb conjugation patterns. Verbs are inflected to indicate tense, aspect, and agreement with the subject. For example, "I walk," "He walks," "They walked."
- Prepositions: Bermudian English employs prepositions in accordance with standard English usage. These prepositions are used to indicate relationships between words and phrases in a sentence. For instance, "in," "on," "at," "with," "to," etc.
- Articles: The definite article "the" and the indefinite articles "a" and "an" are used in Bermudian English in the same way as in standard English. For example, "the cat," "a dog," "an apple."
- Noun Pluralization: Nouns in Bermudian English are pluralized by adding "-s" or "-es" to the singular form, depending on the phonetic ending of the noun. For example, "cat" becomes "cats," "box" becomes "boxes."
- Pronouns: Bermudian English employs the same set of pronouns as standard English, including personal pronouns (e.g., I, you, he, she, it, we, they), possessive pronouns (e.g., mine, yours, his, hers, ours, theirs), and reflexive pronouns (e.g., myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself, ourselves, yourselves, themselves).
- Sentence Structure: Bermudian English generally follows the subject-verb-object (SVO) sentence structure, which is common in English. For example, "She eats an apple."
- Verb Tenses: Bermudian English utilizes the same verb tenses as standard English, including present, past, and future tenses, as well as perfect and progressive forms. For example, "I have eaten," "They will be arriving."
- Question Formation: Questions in Bermudian English are typically formed by inverting the subject and the auxiliary verb. For example, "Do you like ice cream?" or by using question words such as "who," "what," "where," "when," "why," and "how."
References
- ^ Ruth Thomas, "Notes on Bermudian Language", in "Bermuda connections", Smithsonian Folklife Festival. 2001. Washington, DC: Smithsonian Institution, 2001.
- ^ Petrone, Kelly. Welcome to the Bermuda Department of Tourism's Media Information Kit Archived December 22, 2010, at the Wayback Machine, Corbin & Associates, Ltd
- ^ Weller, Anthony. Celebration Bermuda, The New York Times, June 15, 2003
- ^ "From chingas to chopsing: introducing Bermudian English". Oxford English Dictionary. 2021-03-15. Retrieved 2023-01-05.
- ISBN 3-11-018418-4. p. 2066.
- ISBN 0-19-214183-X. pp. 116, 352.
- ^ Harry Morgan Ayres, "Bermudian English", American Speech 8:1 (1933), p. 4. Available online to JSTOR subscribers
- ISBN 978-0-8264-7898-6.
- ISBN 90-272-4890-7. p. 60.
- ISBN 0-521-29719-2. p. 561.
- ^ Shorto, Lieutenant-Colonel A. Gavin (2011-02-04). "The roots of Creole charm". The Royal Gazette. City of Hamilton, Pembroke, Bermuda. Retrieved 2023-03-30.
- ^ Dependents information on Bermuda, United States. Dept. of the Air Force, 1956, page 3
- ^ On the Opposite Sides of the Continuum: Standard British English and Cockney. A Historical Outline of the Parallel Developments of the Two Varieties, Matteo Santipolo, Università degli Studi di Padova, Department of Linguistic and Literary Studies
- ^ Peter A. Smith and Fred M. Barritt, Bermewjan Vurds - a Dictionary of Conversational Bermudian. Hamilton, Bermuda: Lizard Press, 1988.
- ^ "'BERMEWJAN VURDS' - Our Bermuda Dictionary", by Peter A. Smith and Fred M. Barritt, which lists: "BYE 1) A male child. 2) Plural BYES: WE BYES wrote this book and US BYES and THEM BYES and we sold it to YOU BYES."
- ^ guide to Newfoundland Slang, which records: "B'y - Though originally a short form of 'boy' it's actually gender neutral and isn't interchangeable with 'boy'. It adds emphasis to a phrase. Example: Yes, b'y, Go on, b'y."
- ^ Walsh, Candice (2010-08-03). "A Newfoundland Language Lesson: Using the Word B'y". freecandie.com. Candice Walsh.
"B'y" (pronounced "bye") is dynamic and complicated. Even the Newfoundland Dictionary doesn't seem to know much about this word, but I'm certain it isn't a warped version of "boy" as it applies to females too.
- PC) I should like to send to you and to all the officers and men in your battalion my best wishes on your departure for an active theatre of operations.
The army is glad to welcome you and I feel sure that the men from the Caribbean and Bermuda will carry on the fine traditions founded by their fathers in the last war. - )) Now that your battalion has left its home base to take its place overseas with Allied Forces, I should like to send you and all ranks my best wishes for your success. I know how much you and your friends in the Caribbean and Bermuda have wished for this opportunity, and I have no doubt that you will make the very most of it, and that your bearing and discipline, in all circumstances, will fulfil the high expectation of us all. Good luck to all of you.