| English has been the official language of Barbados
since its early settlement days. Most people also speak a Bajan dialect.
This dialect is a fusion of English, African languages, local idioms and
remnants of Amerindian languages. The result is a unique, expressive and
colourful language. Like other languages, the Bajan dialect is constantly
evolving as new words and expressions are added.
Bajan dialect uses grammatical "short cuts."
Auxiliary verbs may be dropped from some expressions. For example, instead
of saying "I am going," a person may say "I gone." The subjective pronoun
may be used in place of the objective or possessive; for example, "tell
we" or "it is we culture." The end of the past participle may be dropped;
for example, instead of saying, "it is finished," a Bajan would say "it
finish." |
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| When forming a question, Bajans often do not invert
the subject and verb. Questions are expressed as statements, but speakers
will raise their voices at the end of the sentence to indicate that they
are asking a question. Instead of using the word "very" to emphasize an
idea, Bajans may repeat a word. For example, to indicate that a car went
very fast, a Bajan would say, "the car went fast, fast, fast." Certain
words and expressions also have specific local meanings. For example, "ignorant"
in Bajan dialect means very aggressive or mean.
Bajans have a great sense of humour and love teasing
one another. The humour is not meant to be unkind. It is sometimes a way
to cover up serious emotions or just to have fun. Greetings may also be
expressed in the form of humour to break the ice. Body language is a clue
to the content and intent of what is being communicated. |
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Did you know? |
| Barbados
has a rich legacy of proverbs. For example, "Trouble don' set up like rain"
(You can't always see trouble coming). "If greedy wait, hot will cool"
(Wait patiently and you will get what you want). "Tekking time ain't laziness"
(Much can be achieved by taking one's time). "Wuh sweeten goat mouth does
bun e tail" (What seems sweet and good at first can have negative or painful
consequences). |
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