Falkland Islands English
Falkland Islands English | |
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Native to | United Kingdom |
Region | Falkland Islands |
Ethnicity | 1,700 (2012 census)[1] |
Indo-European
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Early forms | |
Language codes | |
ISO 639-3 | – |
Glottolog | None |
IETF | en-FK |
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Two notable
The word 'yomp' was used by the British armed forces during the Falklands War but is passing out of usage.
In recent years, a substantial Saint Helenian population has arrived, mainly to do low-paid work, and they too have a distinct form of English.
Settlement history
The Falkland Islands, a cluster of 780 islands off the eastern coast of Argentina, had no indigenous population when the British arrived to explore the islands in 1690.[4] Continuous settlement dates only to 1833, when British forces removed 26 Argentinian soldiers from the islands and claimed the islands for the British.[4] In 1845, the capital town of Stanley, located on East Falkland, was established.[5] Argentina also has a claim to the islands, and in 1982, Argentine forces invaded the Falkland Islands. The British moved to defend the British control of the islands, with Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher calling the islanders "of British tradition and stock".[6] In under three months, nearly a thousand people were killed, and over 2,000 were injured.[7] British-Argentinian tension regarding claim to the islands still exists, but the identity of the island overall is tremendously British, as shown when over 99.8% of islanders voted to remain under British sovereignty in a referendum.[8] This history has implications for the linguistic features of Falkland Islands English, which is similar to British English but distinct in some vocabulary and phonology.
Phonetics and phonology
English in the Falklands is non-rhotic.[9] This is consistent with other varieties of English in the southern hemisphere.[9] One major difference between the English of the Falklands and other Englishes of the southern hemisphere is the onset centralisation of /aɪ/, in which nice is pronounced [nəɪs].[9]
Grammar
- Use of verb tenses: There may be a preference for using the simple past tense instead of the present perfect to express past actions. For example, "I already ate" instead of "I have already eaten." The past continuous tense may be used more frequently to describe ongoing past actions. For example, "I was studying at that time" instead of "I studied at that time."
- Use of prepositions: In some cases, there may be differences in the use of prepositions compared to Standard British English. For example, "She is in the store" instead of "She is at the store."
- Use of pronouns: There may be variations in the use of pronouns and forms of address, influenced by the social and cultural context of the Falkland Islands.
- Vocabulary: This may include region-specific words and idiomatic expressions, as well as terms influenced by the Spanish spoken in the Falkland Islands.
- Influence of Spanish: Given the proximity of the Falkland Islands to Spanish-speaking countries like Argentina and Chile, there may be subtle grammatical influences from Spanish in Falkland Islands English. This can include word order, gender and number agreement, or a preference for certain grammatical constructions.
Vocabulary
The Falklands
Spanish borrowings are particularly numerous, indeed dominant in the local horse-related terminology. For instance, the Islanders use 'alizan', 'colorao', 'negro', 'blanco', 'gotiao', 'picasso', 'sarco', 'rabincana' etc. for certain horse colours and looks, or 'bosal', 'cabresta', 'bastos', 'cinch', 'conjinilla', 'meletas', 'tientas', 'manares' etc. for various items of horse gear.[13]
Unlike the older
References
- ^ Falkland Islands Government - Census 2012: Statistics & Data Tables
- ^ Stay with us » Camping: Falkland Islands Tourist Board
- ^ 'Second Class Citizens: The Argentine View of the Falkland Islanders' Archived 2015-04-10 at the Wayback Machine, P.J. Pepper, Falkland Islands Newsletter, November 1992
- ^ a b Pereltsvaig, Asya (6 December 2010). "Falkland Islands English". Languages of the World. Retrieved 24 March 2018.
- ^ "Our History". Falkland Islands Government. Archived from the original on 20 December 2020. Retrieved 24 March 2018.
- ^ "BBC NEWS | in Depth". BBC News. Retrieved 24 March 2018.
- ^ Taylor, Alan. "30 Years Since the Falklands War - the Atlantic". The Atlantic. Retrieved 24 March 2018.
- ^ Tweedie, Neil (12 March 2013). "Falkland islands referendum: who were the three 'No' votes?". Retrieved 24 March 2018.
- ^ ISBN 9781118602607.
- ^ Are there places more British than the UK?, BBC News, 8 March 2013
- ^ Concise Oxford Spanish Dictionary: Spanish-English/English-Spanish
- ^ El gaucho Martín Fierro, José Hernández Editorial Pampa, 1963, page 247
- ^ a b Spruce, Joan. Corrals and Gauchos: Some of the people and places involved in the cattle industry. Falklands Conservation Publication. Bangor: Peregrine Publishing, 1992. 48 pp.