Falkland Islands English
| Falkland Islands English | |
|---|---|
| Native to | United Kingdom |
| Region | Falkland Islands |
| Ethnicity | 1,700 (2012 census) |
|
Native speakers
|
(presumably close to the ethnic population) |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | – |
| Glottolog | None |
| IETF | en-FK |
Falkland Islands English is mainly British in character. However, as a result of the isolation of the islands, the small population has developed and retains its own accent/dialect, which persists despite a large number of immigrants from the United Kingdom in recent years. In rural areas (i.e. anywhere outside Stanley), known as ‘Camp’ (from Spanish campo or ‘countryside’), the Falkland accent tends to be stronger. The dialect has resemblances to Australian, New Zealand, West Country and Norfolk dialects of English, as well as Lowland Scots.
Two notable Falkland Island terms are ‘kelper’ meaning a Falkland Islander, from the kelp surrounding the islands (sometimes used pejoratively in Argentina) and ‘smoko’, for a smoking break (as in Australia and New Zealand).
The word ‘yomp’ was used by the British armed forces during the Falklands War but is passing out of usage.
In recent years, a substantial Saint Helenian population has arrived, mainly to do low-paid work, and they too have a distinct form of English.
The Falklands English vernacular has a fair amount of borrowed Spanish words (often modified or corrupted). These include colloquialisms such as ‘che’, also encountered in Rioplatense Spanish, and ‘poocha’ equivalent to ‘wow’. or ‘damn’, (from pucha, a euphemism for puta or ‘whore’).
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