Trinidadian Creole

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Trinidadian English Creole
Native toTrinidad and Tobago
Native speakers
1,000,000 (2011)[1]
English Creole
  • Atlantic
    • Eastern
      • Southern
        • Trinidadian English Creole
Language codes
ISO 639-3trf
Glottologtrin1276
Linguasphere52-ABB-au
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Trinidadian English Creole is an English-based

basilectal level[2] – and from other Lesser Antillean
English creoles.

English is the country's official language (the national standard variety is

Arabic.[4] As of 2011, there were 1 million native speakers.[citation needed
]

History

Like other Caribbean English-based creoles, Trinidadian English Creole has a primarily English-derived vocabulary. The island also has a creole with a largely French lexicon, which was in widespread use until the late nineteenth century, when it started to be gradually replaced, due to influence and pressure from the British.[5]

Hakka, and now Mandarin), Trinidadian Hindustani, Tamil, and other South Asian languages have also influenced the language.[6]

Phonological features

Although there is considerable variation, some generalizations can be made about the speech of Trinidad:

Vowels

[11]
front central back
close i ɪ ʊ u
close-mid e ə o
open-mid ɛ ɜ ʌ ɔ
open a ɑ ɒ

Consonants

[12]
bilabial labio-dental alveolar post-alveolar palatal velar glottal
plosive voiceless p t k
voiced b d ɡ
nasal m n ŋ
trill r
fricative voiceless f s ʃ h
voiced
approximant w j
lateral l

Usage

Both Trinidad and Tobago

Trinidadian English, with the former being more common in spontaneous speech and the latter in more formal speech.[14] Because of the social values attributed to linguistic forms, the more common varieties (that is, more creolized forms) carry little prestige in certain contexts.[15]

Example words and phrases

  • back chat: insolence.[16]
  • bad-john: a bully or gangster.[16][17][18]
  • bacchanal: any incident or time marked by drama, scandal, confusion or conflict[19]
  • chinksin: miserly; distributing less than one could or should.[20]
  • calypso: a musical or lyrical comment on something, particularly popular during Carnival.[16]
  • dougla: a person having both Indian and African parentage.[16]
  • macco: someone who gets into other people's business.[16]
  • maljo: a sickness manifested upon newborn babies and young animals (like puppies) out of envy or ill wishes.[20]
  • pothound: a mongrel dog of no specific breed or whose breed is unknown; mutt.[20]
  • tabanca: heartbreak.[16]
  • ups kabat: a type of game played with marbles, otherwise known as "marble pitch".[21]
  • zaboca: avocado [22]
  • dingolay: cheerful dance that involves fast paced movements [23][24]
  • broughtupsy/brought-upsie: good manners, proper upbringing or home training[25]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Trinidadian English Creole at Ethnologue (24th ed., 2021) Closed access icon
  2. ^ Youssef & James (2004:508, 514)
  3. ^ "APiCS Online - Survey chapter: Trinidad English Creole". apics-online.info. Retrieved 2022-03-13.
  4. ^ Jo-Anne Sharon Ferreira. (A Brief Overview of) The Sociolinguistic History of Trinidad & Tobago. University of the West Indies. unb.br
  5. ^ Youssef & James (2004:510–511)
  6. ^ "Trinidad English Creole".
  7. ^ Amastae (1979:191)
  8. ^ Youssef & James (2004:516)
  9. ^ Youssef & James (2004:517)
  10. ^ "APiCS Online - Survey chapter: Trinidad English Creole". apics-online.info. Retrieved 2022-03-13.
  11. ^ "APiCS Online - Survey chapter: Trinidad English Creole". apics-online.info. Retrieved 2022-03-13.
  12. ^ "APiCS Online - Survey chapter: Trinidad English Creole". apics-online.info. Retrieved 2022-03-13.
  13. ^ Minderhout (1977:168–169)
  14. ^ Winford (1985:352–353)
  15. ^ Winford (1985:353)
  16. ^ a b c d e f tobagowi.com dictionary of terms for Trinidad and Tobago
  17. ^ Kirt Morris, "Trini Phrase: Bad John", TriniInXisle.
  18. ^ "UK English Dictionary". Lexico.com. Dictionary.com/Oxford University Press. Archived from the original on August 21, 2021. Retrieved 21 August 2021.
  19. ^ "bacchanal at Wiwords.com". wiwords.com. Retrieved 2022-03-13.
  20. ^ a b c WiWords.com dictionary of the West Indies
  21. ^ Winer & Boos (1993:46)
  22. ^ "zaboca at Wiwords.com". wiwords.com. Retrieved 2021-08-20.
  23. ^ "Caribbean Dictionary". Wiwords. Retrieved 2021-08-20.
  24. ^ "dingolay - Wiktionary". en.wiktionary.org. Retrieved 2021-08-20.
  25. ^ "broughtupsy at Wiwords.com". wiwords.com. Retrieved 2022-03-13.

References

Further reading