Turks and Caicos Creole

Turks and Caicos Creole is an English-based creole spoken in the Turks and Caicos Islands, a West Indian British overseas territory in the Bahama Archipelago.

Turks and Caicos Creole
Native toTurks and Caicos Islands
Native speakers
(10,700 cited 1995)[1]
English Creole
  • Atlantic
    • Eastern
      • Northern
        • Turks and Caicos Creole
Language codes
ISO 639-3tch
Glottologturk1310
Linguasphere52-ABB-ao

The Turks and Caicos Island Creole variety has not been thoroughly studied but may be directly related to Bahamian Creole as one of its dialects as the two are reportedly highly mutually intelligible. As of 1995, the number of speakers of Turks and Caicos Islands Creole is around 10,700,[2] although decreasing and endangered. It seems to be shifting to a variety form of Caribbean English. Turks and Caicos Islands Creole does not have an official status.

Phrases
Word/phraseMeaning
switcha/switcherLemonade/limeade (combination of sugar water and lime/lemon juice)
gal/gyalGirl
chile/chilenchild/children
chileUsed to represent emphasis on a sentence (well chile he een tell me nuttin bout that)
eenaren't (They een goin today) or isn't (That een right) or don't (I een no nuttin bout that)
velwell (usually the 'W' and 'V' are exchanged with each other, e.g. vednesday: Wednesday, weil: veil)
axeask
mussemust be
scorchscratch
jumbeespirit or ghost

References

  • Cutler, Cecilia (2003). "English in the Turks and Caicos Islands: A look at Grand Turk". Contact Englishes of the Eastern Caribbean (Varieties of English Around the World) G30, Edited by Michael Aceto, Jeffrey Payne Williams. John Benjamins Publishing Company. ISBN 9789027248909.

See also

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