Leeward Caribbean Creole English
| Leeward Caribbean Creole English | |
|---|---|
| Antiguan Creole | |
| Saint Kitts Creole | |
| Native to | Antigua and Barbuda |
|
Native speakers
|
150,000 (2001–2011) |
|
English Creole
|
|
| Dialects | |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | |
| Glottolog | anti1245 |
| Linguasphere | 52-ABB-apf to -apm |
Leeward Caribbean Creole English, also known by the names of the various islands on which it is spoken (Antiguan Creole, Saint Kitts Creole, etc.), is an English-based creole language spoken in the Leeward Islands of the Caribbean, namely the countries of Antigua and Barbuda, Montserrat, Saint Kitts, and Nevis.
There are subtle differences in the language's usage by different speakers, and islanders often use it in combination with Standard English. The tendency to switch back and forth from Creole to Standard English often seems to correlate with the class status of the speaker. Persons of higher social status tend to switch between Standard English and Creole more readily, due to their more extensive formal education in the English-language school system. Creole usage is more common, and is less similar to Standard English, as speakers descend the socioeconomic ladder.
Many Creole words are derived from English or African origins. The creole was formed when slaves owned by English planters imitated the English of their enslavers but pronounced it with their own inflections. This can be easily seen in phrases such as "Me nah go," meaning "I am not going," or in "Ent it?," presumably a cognate of "Ain't it?"
Vocabulary is widely influenced by British vocabulary, due to centuries of association with Great Britain. Examples:
However, in other cases the American form prevails over the British one, due to the islands' close proximity to the United States:
Because of the influx of other Caribbean nationals to Antigua, due to natural migration and to the CSME, Antigua's everyday vocabulary is being influenced by Jamaican Creole, bajan Creole, Guyanese Creole and Trinidadian Creole. This is even more common among the youth. Examples:
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