Creolization in the English Caribbean

 Hello everyone! Welcome once again to my blog. Today we'll be going over further examples of creolization which piqued my interest in the English speaking Caribbean. We'll start off with Jamaican patois. As mentioned in Christine Gangelhoff's book, Tour De Force chapter 1 titled "Jamaica", Jamaican patois refer to the local creole language that is derived from the contact between West African slaves and New World colonists. Personally, I've always found the Jamaican dialect to be a very fascinating and unique set of tongue spoken by those who utilize the English language. 

                                 

Please see above a list of common words found in Jamaican Patois. This picture was derived from the site https://www.languagesunlimited.com/can-you-understand-jamaican-patois-as-a-native-english-speaker/

The above video quickly goes over a few common examples of Jamaican patois, describing how they are pronounced, alongside what scenarios and context they are typically utilized in.  I found myself using a few of these expressions with slight variations without realizing, e.g., as mentioned in the video "weh yuh seh" is mentioned, when I tend to use "wa ya say". I picked this video due to its simplicity in format, and its precise explanation of the proper use of these patois.

Moving along, we also have Calypso music, which is a staple in the culture of Trinidad and Tobago. As mentioned in Tour De Force chapter 1 section titled "Trinidad and Tobago", calypso is defined as a style of music which evolved from a mixture of French Caribbean, European, African and potentially Venezuela. With my knowledge of Caribbean music being relatively low, I decided to listen to a few calypso songs to better understand this cultural phenomenon. David Rudder's simplistically titled song called "Calypso Music" is a great harmonious jam from what I've heard so far. 

                                                        

The picture above was taken from a local carnival festival held in Trinidad and Tobago, where calypso music is being played. Taken from https://www.youramazingplaces.com/trinidad-tobago-country-carnival-calypso-music-limbo-dancing/

Please find above a video outlining the history of calypso music throughout the Caribbean. The video in question details what makes calypso so unique as a music style, alongside briefly describing the rich history embedded into calypso. I picked this video in particular simply because i liked the minimalist presentation and straight to the point explanation.

For our final example of creolization today, we're going to talk about my favorite, food! Growing up in The Bahamas, I've always been fond of the food present on our little islands, even if its not the healthiest. Macaroni has always been a favorite of mine. However, my unpopular opinion is that Bahamian seafood besides fish really isn't my thing, crab and conch never do it for me.

                                         

The mouth watering picture above has a classic Bahamian meal, including cracked conch, macaroni, rice, orange, lime, and a ranch sauce. It was taken from https://caribbean.home.blog/2018/12/30/bahamian-cuisine-the-best-places-to-eat-in-the-bahamas/. 

 

The video above shows a short demonstration of how to make the iconic Bahamian meal conch salad. Some facts about the conch itself, specifically the anatomy of the conch, are sprinkled throughout. It's also fun to watch tourists try the conch salad because they're fascinated by the creation process and the exquisite taste that comes with it.

References

Gangelhoff, Christine. Tour de Force: A Musical Journey of the Caribbean. Vital Source Bookshelf, 2019.

Language Unlimited. Can You Understand Jamaican Patois as a Native English Speaker? N/A N/A N/A. <https://www.languagesunlimited.com/can-you-understand-jamaican-patois-as-a-native-english-speaker/>.

Matze. Bahamian Cuisine: The Best Places to Eat in the Bahamas. 30 December 2018. <https://caribbean.home.blog/2018/12/30/bahamian-cuisine-the-best-places-to-eat-in-the-bahamas/>.

Trinidad And Tobago- Country Of Carnival, Calypso Music And Limbo Dancing. N/A N/A N/A. <https://www.youramazingplaces.com/trinidad-tobago-country-carnival-calypso-music-limbo-dancing/>.