Trinidadian English/Creole

Standard English is the official language of Trinidad. However, Trinidadian English Creole is an English-based creole language commonly spoken throughout the island of Trinidad [in Trinidad and Tobago]. It is distinct from Tobagonian Creole–particularly at the basilectal level [a form of a language that is considered to have less prestige than other forms]–and from other Lesser Antillean English creoles. Trinidad is seven miles off the Venezuelan coast.

Trinidadian Creole English is the result of cultural influence by those in power at a point in time and those that passed through over the years and left an indelible mark on the speech of the nation. Originally, the island of Trinidad was inhabited by the Arawak and Carib people who were swiftly annihilated, after the arrival of the Spanish in 1498. The few indigenous people that remained were absorbed into the life of Spanish Trinidad and maintained a pidgin of their own native tongues, which also died out shortly thereafter.

Spanish, however, never became a dominant language in Trinidad. It was considered the language of government for some time, but the island was dominated by French settlers. The French had claimed Tobago, the sister island to Trinidad, and used it as a large sugar plantation. The close proximity with which the French had to mainland Trinidad caused French and French Creole to become the lingua franca of the island for a long portion of its history due to it being necessary for trade and commerce.

In 1797, the British seized Trinidad from the Spanish; and five years later, the Spanish finally conceded with the Treaty of Amiens. This five-year gap is important in that both countries staked claim to possession of the island and this time period would most likely become largely bilingual. Language is power and responsible for whatever little actual Spanish influence there is on modern day Trinidadian Creole.

The cultural variety of Trinidad became vast under the British rule due to immigration from other islands and the Slave Trade Act of 1807 which led to many freed slaves fleeing their homelands for Trinidad. Still, French Creole remained the dominant lingua franca due to its importance to trade. The British Empire, however, took it upon itself to impose English on the island. Between 1845 and 1917–when Indian indentureship came to an end–a total of 143,939 East Indians came to Trinidad, mostly from the Indian province of Uttar Pradesh. The newcomers spoke Bhojpuri, a Magadhan language of the northeast of India which shares most of its lexicon with Hindi.

Schools were established that taught in RP [Standard English] and; over time, the dominant and official language became English. The Queen’s English became the language of those with education while the Trinidadian Creole English because the true voice of the nation. By the 1900’s, Trinidadian Creole English had supplanted French Creole, in every facet. Trading and commerce was no longer dominated by the French Creole. Going forward, English would be the lingua franca of the island. Therefore, one can claim that the existence of Trinidadian Creole English is the result of a strict and dominant linguistic policy enforced by the British and the continued contact with the native tongues of those that immigrated to the island over the years.

Examples: yon bon ripa=a good meal; yon bon listwè=a good story; anpil bon listwè–a lot of good stories; yon bel nonm=a handsome man; yon bèl fanm=a beautiful woman; Sita eat di mango— Sita ate the mango. Meri haus—Mary’s house;  hello=Before noon, it’s Bonjou. After noon, it’s bonswa; oke=OK; eskize mwen=excuse me; Kijan ou ye?=how are you?; bon bagay=good stuff; sak pase=good stuff; wakwak=walk; shi hav plenty tumuch to set a quant dress=she has a lot of dresses; Dat bag in Mikey cyar/dem bag prep in Mikey cyar=The bag is in Mikey’s car; Shi self catch it=It was she who caught it; hi self kill himself=he was the very one killed himself; hi self jus a det man as yu=he us just a man like you; Deena more taller than mi=Beena is taller than I am.