Bahamian Dialect
Bahamian Creole
English-based creole
Bahamian Creole (Bahamian Dialect, sometimes "Bahamianese") is the English-based creole vernacular of the Bahamas, spoken by ~400,000 people including the entire L1 native population. It descends from the same 17th-18th century Atlantic English-based creole as Jamaican Patois (jam), Belize Kriol (bzj), and Gullah (gcl), but with distinctive features reflecting Bahamian colonial history: extensive Loyalist/Tory English settler influence (post-American Revolution), African substrate from enslaved populations of various West African origins, and lighter Spanish and French maritime contact (less than other Caribbean creoles). Distinguished from Standard English by phonological features (rhotic shift, [θ]→[t]/[f], [ð]→[d]/[v]), grammatical features (zero copula, habitual aspect "does", unmarked plural), and vocabulary unique to Bahamian island life.
Where it is spoken
87 core words in Bahamian Creole
Sources
Words compared
Compared with languages in the same classification: English-based creole
| Meaning | Bahamian Creole | English | West Country English | Welsh English | Mancunian English | Jamaican English | Malaysian English |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water | watah /wɑːtə/ | water /ˈwɔːtə/ | water /ˈwɔːtɚ/ | water /ˈwɔːtə/ | water /ˈwɔːtɐ/ | water /ˈwɔːtə/ | water /ˈwɔːtə/ |
| Fire | fyah /fajə/ | fire /faɪə/ | fire /faɪɚ/ | fire /faɪə/ | fire /faɪə/ | fire /faɪə/ | fire /faɪə/ |
| Sun | son /sɔn/ | sun /sʌn/ | sun /sʌn/ | sun /sʌn/ | sun /sʊn/ | sun /sɵn/ | sun /san/ |
| Moon | moon /muːn/ | moon /muːn/ | moon /muːn/ | moon /muːn/ | moon /muːn/ | moon /muːn/ | moon /muːn/ |
| Star | star /stɑː/ | star /stɑːɹ/ | star /stɑːɹ/ | star /staː/ | star /staː/ | star /staː/ | star /staː/ |
| Night | night /naɪt/ | night /naɪt/ | night /naɪt/ | night /naɪt/ | night /naɪt/ | night /naɪt/ | night /naɪt/ |
| Rain | rain /reɪn/ | rain /ɹeɪn/ | rain /ɹeɪn/ | rain /ɾeɪn/ | rain /ɹeɪn/ | rain /ɹeːn/ | rain /ɹeːn/ |
| Snow | snow /snoʊ/ | snow /snoʊ/ | snow /snəʊ/ | snow /snoʊ/ | snow /snəʊ/ | snow /snoː/ | snow /snoː/ |
| Wind | wind /wɪn/ | wind /wɪnd/ | wind /wɪnd/ | wind /wɪnd/ | wind /wɪnd/ | wind /wɪnd/ | wind /wɪnd/ |
| Stone | stone /stoʊn/ | stone /stoʊn/ | stone /stəʊn/ | stone /stoːn/ | stone /stɒʊn/ | stone /stoːn/ | stone /stoːn/ |
| Mother | mama /mama/ | mother /ˈmʌðə/ | mother /ˈmʌðɚ/ | mother /ˈmʌðə/ | mother /ˈmʊðɐ/ | mother /ˈmɵðə/ | mother /ˈmadə/ |
| Father | daddy /dadi/ | father /ˈfɑːðə/ | father /ˈvɑːðɚ/ | father /ˈfɑːðə/ | father /ˈfaːðɐ/ | father /ˈfaːðə/ | father /ˈfadə/ |
| Daughter | daughter /dɑːtə/ | daughter /ˈdɔːtə/ | daughter /ˈdɔːtɚ/ | daughter /ˈdɔːtə/ | daughter /ˈdɔːtɐ/ | daughter /ˈdɔːtə/ | daughter /ˈdɔːtə/ |
| I | I /aɪ/ | I /aɪ/ | I /aɪ/ | I /aɪ/ | I /aɪ/ | I /aɪ/ | I /aɪ/ |
| You | you /juː/ | you /juː/ | you /juː/ | you /juː/ | you /juː/ | you /juː/ | you /juː/ |
| We | we /wiː/ | we /wiː/ | we /wiː/ | we /wiː/ | we /wiː/ | we /wiː/ | we /wiː/ |
| Name | name /neɪm/ | name /neɪm/ | name /neɪm/ | name /neːm/ | name /neɪm/ | name /neːm/ | name /neɪm/ |
| Eye | eye /aɪ/ | eye /aɪ/ | eye /aɪ/ | eye /aɪ/ | eye /aɪ/ | eye /aɪ/ | eye /aɪ/ |
| Ear | ear /ɛə/ | ear /ɪɚ/ | ear /ɪɚ/ | ear /iːə/ | ear /ɪə/ | ear /iːa/ | ear /iə/ |
| Nose | nose /noːz/ | nose /noʊz/ | nose /nəʊz/ | nose /noʊz/ | nose /nəʊz/ | nose /noːz/ | nose /noːs/ |
| Tooth | tooth /tuːt/ | tooth /tuːθ/ | tooth /tuːθ/ | tooth /tuːθ/ | tooth /tʊθ/ | tooth /tuːt/ | tooth /tuːt/ |
| Tongue | tongue /tʌŋ/ | tongue /tʌŋ/ | tongue /tʌŋ/ | tongue /tʌŋ/ | tongue /tʊŋ/ | tongue /tɵŋ/ | tongue /taŋ/ |
| Hand | han /han/ | hand /hænd/ | hand /hand/ | hand /hand/ | hand /hand/ | hand /hand/ | hand /hæn/ |
| Heart | hart /hɑːt/ | heart /hɑːt/ | heart /hɑːɹt/ | heart /haːt/ | heart /haːt/ | heart /haːt/ | heart /haːt/ |
| Bone | bone /boʊn/ | bone /boʊn/ | bone /bəʊn/ | bone /boːn/ | bone /bɒʊn/ | bone /boːn/ | bone /bon/ |
| Blood | blood /blʌd/ | blood /blʌd/ | blood /blʌd/ | blood /blʌd/ | blood /blʊd/ | blood /blɵd/ | blood /blad/ |
| Love | love /lɔv/ | love /lʌv/ | love /lʌv/ | love /lʌv/ | love /lʊv/ | love /lɵv/ | love /laf/ |
| Tree | tree /tɹiː/ | tree /tɹiː/ | tree /tɹiː/ | tree /tɹiː/ | tree /tɹiː/ | tree /tɹiː/ | tree /tɹiː/ |
| Dog | dawg /dɔɡ/ | dog /dɒɡ/ | dog /dɒɡ/ | dog /dɒɡ/ | dog /dɒɡ/ | dog /dɔɡ/ | dog /dɔk/ |
| Cat | cat /kat/ | cat /kæt/ | cat /kat/ | cat /kʰat/ | cat /kat/ | cat /kʰat ~ kjaːt/ | cat /kæt/ |
| Fish | fish /fɪʃ/ | fish /fɪʃ/ | fish /fɪʃ/ | fish /fɪʃ/ | fish /fɪʃ/ | fish /fɪʃ/ | fish /fɪʃ/ |
| Bird | bird /bɜːd/ | bird /bɜːɹd/ | bird /bɜːd/ | bird /bɜːd/ | bird /bɜːd/ | bird /bɜːd/ | bird /bɜːd/ |
| Egg | egg /ɛɡ/ | egg /ɛɡ/ | egg /ɛɡ/ | egg /ɛɡ/ | egg /ɛɡ/ | egg /ɛɡ/ | egg /ɛɡ/ |
| House | house /haus/ | house /haʊs/ | house /haʊs/ | house /haʊs/ | house /haʊs/ | house /hɵʊs/ | house /haʊs/ |
| Milk | milk /mɪlk/ | milk /mɪlk/ | milk /mɪlk/ | milk /mɪlk/ | milk /mɪlk/ | milk /mɪlk/ | milk /mɪlk/ |
| Salt | salt /sɑːlt/ | salt /sɔːlt/ | salt /sɔːlt/ | salt /sɔːlt/ | salt /sɔːlt/ | salt /sɔːlt/ | salt /sɔlt/ |
| Wine | wine /waɪn/ | wine /waɪn/ | wine /waɪn/ | wine /waɪn/ | wine /waɪn/ | wine /waɪn/ | wine /waɪn/ |
| Wheel | wheel /wiːl/ | wheel /wiːl/ | wheel /wiːl/ | wheel /wiːl/ | wheel /wiːl/ | wheel /wiːl/ | wheel /wiːl/ |
| Eat | eat /iːt/ | eat /iːt/ | eat /iːt/ | eat /iːt/ | eat /iːt/ | eat /iːt/ | eat /iːt/ |
| Drink | drink /dɹɪŋk/ | drink /dɹɪŋk/ | drink /dɹɪŋk/ | drink /dɹɪŋk/ | drink /dɹɪŋk/ | drink /dɹɪŋk/ | drink /dɹɪŋk/ |
| Sleep | sliip /sliːp/ | sleep /sliːp/ | sleep /sliːp/ | sleep /sliːp/ | sleep /sliːp/ | sleep /sliːp/ | sleep /sliːp/ |
| One | one /wan/ | one /wʌn/ | one /wʌn/ | one /wʌn/ | one /wʊn/ | one /wɵn/ | one /wan/ |
| Two | two /tuː/ | two /tuː/ | two /tuː/ | two /tuː/ | two /tuː/ | two /tuː/ | two /tuː/ |
| Three | three /tɹiː/ | three /θɹiː/ | three /θɹiː/ | three /θɹiː/ | three /θɹiː/ | three /tɹiː/ | three /tɹiː/ |
| Four | four /fɔː/ | four /fɔːɹ/ | four /fɔːɹ/ | four /fɔː/ | four /fɔː/ | four /foː/ | four /fɔː/ |
| Five | faiv /faiv/ | five /faɪv/ | five /faɪv/ | five /faɪv/ | five /faɪv/ | five /faɪv/ | five /faɪv/ |
| Hundred | hundred /ˈhʌndɹəd/ | hundred /ˈhʌndɹəd/ | hundred /ˈhʌndɹəd/ | hundred /ˈhʌndɾəd/ | hundred /ˈhʊndɹəd/ | hundred /ˈhɵndɹɛd/ | hundred /ˈhandɹɛd/ |
| Hello | wuhz hapnin /wʊz hapnɪn/ | hello /həˈləʊ/ | hello /hɛˈloʊ/ | hello /həˈləʊ/ | hello /həˈlɔʊ/ | hello /həˈloː/ | hello /həˈlo/ |
| Thank you | tank ya /taŋk jə/ | thank you /θæŋk juː/ | thanks /θaŋks/ | thanks /θaŋks/ | ta /taː/ | thank you /taŋk juː/ | thanks /tɛŋks/ |
| Good | good /ɡʊd/ | good /ɡʊd/ | good /ɡʊd/ | good /ɡʊd/ | good /ɡʊd/ | good /ɡʊd/ | good /ɡʊt/ |
| Red | red /ɹɛd/ | red /ɹɛd/ | red /ɹɛd/ | red /ɾɛd/ | red /ɹɛd/ | red /ɹɛd/ | red /ɹɛd/ |
| White | white /waɪt/ | white /waɪt/ | white /waɪt/ | white /waɪt/ | white /waɪt/ | white /waɪt/ | white /waɪt/ |
| Black | black /blak/ | black /blæk/ | black /blak/ | black /blak/ | black /blak/ | black /blak/ | black /blæk/ |
| Green | green /ɡɹiːn/ | green /ɡɹiːn/ | green /ɡɹiːn/ | green /ɡɾiːn/ | green /ɡɹiːn/ | green /ɡɹiːn/ | green /ɡɹiːn/ |
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