Bajan
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Barbadian Creole / Bajan | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spoken in: | Barbados | |
| Total speakers: | — | |
| Language family: | Creole Barbadian Creole / Bajan |
|
| Language codes | ||
| ISO 639-1: | none | |
| ISO 639-2: | to be added | |
| ISO/FDIS 639-3: | bjs | |
Bajan or as called by the industrialised world Barbadian Creole is an English-based creole language spoken by persons on the West Indian island of Barbados. Bajan uses a mixture of West African idioms and expressions along with English to produce a unique Barbadian/West Indian vocabulary and speech pattern. Bajan is easily distinguishable from the dialects of neighbouring Caribbean islands, as many of the other Caribbean islands are based on Irish- or Scottish-based English pronunciation such as Jamaican Creole.
Bajan uses a mixture of English and/or West African syntax, with much of the pronunciation of words sharing similarities to persons from Liverpool, England. Bajan was first created when West African slaves were brought to the island and forced to speak English, with an existing West African understanding of language semantics. Bajan later became a means of communicating without always being understood by the slave masters. Unlike other Caribbean creoles, Bajan is rhotic and has a strong tendency to realize word-final /t/ as [ʔ]. Thus the Bajan pronunciation of start, [stɑːɹʔ], contrasts sharply with the pronunciation of other Caribbean speakers, [staːt].
The word Bajan is merely a Bajan pronunciation of the word Barbadian ("Bar-bayyd-ian"); however, with the deeper accents which once prevailed in Barbados the word sounded more like Barbajan ("Bar-bayy-junn") and eventually it was just shortened to Bajan. For a short time before and after independence from Britain, Bajan was a somewhat negative term used to mean an un-educated Barbadian, but the term now is no longer still seen as such.
Today, Bajan is a popular term for citizens of Barbados, in addition to the official name, which is Barbadian. In general, the people of Barbados speak standard English on TV and radio, in courthouses, in government, and in day to day business, while the more relaxed dialect of Bajan is reserved for less formal situations. English is also usually used when talking formally or to tourists. Though English is the native tongue of all Barbadians, most native Barbadians opt to speak Bajan amongst themselves or when in a very relaxed setting.
Note: Asking a Barbadian to "speak Bajan" will usually receive little to no response.
Unlike some other West Indian Creoles, pluralization in Bajan is not done by adding dem at the end of a noun (eg "de people dem"), although in some cases "dem" may function as a definite article.
example-
- English: The girls
- Bajan: De girls/Dem girls
- English: There are a lot of men here
- Bajan: Duh got bare men in hay/real men inside hay boy/nuff men in de place/In hay is a malebox ya
Most of Bajan's lexicon is from or derived from English but their are lexical items that stem from other languages such as Twi or French.
Contents |
[edit] Bajan Words
[edit] A
- above - to be next to...to the right of
- afta - after
- add-in - put in a little bit more of that
- again - now
- all de talk - in any case
- all-two - both
- all-two a wunna - both persons in the group
- all-a-wanna - everyone in the group
- ass - an insult, referring to one's buttocks, or the animal
- at'all / at'tall - no-how, no-way.
[edit] B
- badbehave - to be poorly behaved
- badfeels - any faint feeling
- bad-bad-bad-bad-bad-bad-bad -- "a real lot" (ex. "Look, da other team get beat, bad-bad-bad-bad-bad-bad-bad")
- back-back - to go backwards
- bachannal - awful noise, sound, or commotion, loud partying
- backoo - (Folklore) -- A short mystical half-man/half-horse animal said to bring bad-luck if given to someone. (From the east-Indian community)
- backchat / backtalk - disrespectful replys (usually in the case of a child to a parent.)
- balampalampam - very large buttocks
- bariffle - a whole lot ex: dah's a barihf'l a homwuhk
- bassa-bassa - a fight or uproar
- bashi - to be intriguing
- bashment - to be intriguing / a party
- bawl-like-a-cow - crying, yelling for help
- bawl-out - curse someone
- bazodee - crazy(acting).
- below - to the left of... (As in - "The house below there-")
- bare - a lot of...
- behind God's back - a distant rural place wayout in the countryside
- big-up - kudos, accolades, salutation
- big-rock - a stone, just the right size and weight for throwing at someone, or to stand up someone, or to be impressive (dat show was nuff big-rock)
- Bim - a nickname for Barbados(short for Bimshire), it was also a soft-drink historically made in Barbados
- blaklead - a pencil
- blasted - "damn"
- blista - to curse out
- blistabline - to curse out e.g. "she get blistabline in cus"
- block wid - to confront boldly with ex: don mek mi gah block wid yuh
- body / bozzi - a person / the full substance of a being (Boah-zie) e.g. not me bozzi
- boar tru - to push through ("Bore through")
- bonie - very slim body (boan-ny)
- bossman - an admired friend / a salute ("hey buddy")
- boun - to become constipated
- boxy / botsi - the buttocks
- but - to bounce off or knock into something, or hit someone with your head. (ex. a "head-but")
- brass - trumpets and other horns in a song / to pass wind/air
- bration - a rendezvous with a date
- breeze - to relax or to be easy. (1)"i gine up hey n breeze lil bit" (2)e.g. "dah test was ah breeze"
- breed-off - to become pregnant
- brekfives - to shake hands
- brek-up - to fall or to feel really tired after a party or exercise ex:Man, I did feel brek-up afta da football match.
- broughtupsy - proper upbringing, manners or class
- bruggadown / brugga-lax / brax-lax - (The sound of a fall, or something hitting something else hard.)
- bubbi - a breast
- bubble up de gap - drive up the street
- bubble a pot - to cook good tasting food
- buckra - a Caucasian [of African origin, mbakara]
- buckra-johnny - n. a poor caucasian
- bumpa / bumsi - the buttocks
- buttupon - to meet by chance / to have met by chance
- bull - to engage (as a male) in sexual intercourse with a fellow male
- bulla - the highest offensive name for a homosexual male
- bullaman - a homosexual male
- burst - to over do, or to hit hard, or to be over crowded (de party was real burst).
- buy-ice, and fry it - "a waste of money"
[edit] C
- cah / caa - to carry e.g. "Cah da long fuh ma"
- ca dear - 'awww', 'poor thing', 'how sad'- an expression of both good and bad sentiments eg: In response to hearing of death 'ca dear' ; comment on a cute or even an ugly baby 'ca dear'
- carry 'way - take / taking/to theif
- catspradal - to destroy/ to fall very harshly
- caw - wow! [shortened version to the vulgar]
- caw blen - wow! [vulgar]
- cha! - wow! / yes! (from Jamaica)
- chat-up / chatuhp - to flatter
- cheeseonbread - an expression or exclamation
- cheese on bread-a saying( for example:o my gosh)
- chip - slowly marching down the street in-time- to the rhythm of the music playing.
- choke-off - to shut off.
- chop-lass - see collins
- choppa - a machete
- choppy - to be bumpy
- chune - a song
- cock - referring to a male's penis
- cockrat - a whore
- cock-back - shaking ones' buttocks while dancing
- cock-up - to relax with one's limbs spread
- collins - see cutlass
- colours-fighting - the colour clothes someone is wearing either clash, are ugly, or don't go together.
- cook-up - mix everything together.
- coolie - door-to-door salesman of East-Indian decent
- come forward - to come back (eg. I gine and come forward)
- come'a - come here to me!
- come-ya - someone who is new to the area [offensive]
- common - to be low class
- crab-mash - to iron ones clothes like they don't know what they're doing.
- cross over - to become pregnant
- cunna-nou-nou (spelling?) - a fool
- cunt - noun [Vulgar] e.g. "You, ya cunt!"
- cuff - to punch / a punch
- curseted - "damn"
- cus - to insult, swear or use bad words
- cutlass - a machete
[edit] D
- da - that
- daa fuh yuh - that's what you get
- daa gon' do fuh yuh - that will bring about serious consequences, I just hope you're ready to face them.
- de-belly - diarrhoea
- dearheart - sweetheart
- dingolay - dance
- do-fa-do - A saying ("What you do to others, you'll get back" / "What goes around, comes around" / tit-for-tat)
- do-fa-do, ain't no obeah - ("Doing bad things to others, and then having it happen to you is not necessarily witchcraft")
- dooflicky - a celebration
- doggerts - the male genitals
- doggy - the penis / an offensive name for males
- dottish - (pronounced: "doh'tish") stupid / foolish
- down de bottom - over on the other end ("down de' bottom of Saint Michael.")
- down de line - straight down the road
- drawing-up - Sit close next to... ("drawing-up along side")
- dress-up - wearing your best clothes
- drop-down - to faint, pass out, or flop down onto something
- dropsy - getting tired
- dumpsy - to be stupid
- duncey - to be stupid
- duppy - a ghost or spirit [from Twi adope]
[edit] E
- eat-off - consume a lot of food, or the food is gone.
- ecky-becky - a poor Caucasian [a *very* offensive term][from Igbo of Nigeria]
- enuff - to have had enough of something
- eat - to perform oral sex
- dicky-male genital
[edit] F
- fa / fah / fuh - for
- fall away - lose weight rapidly
- fall out - stop being friends
- faddah - father
- faddah-head - (an insult)
- fah real - to agree with something said
- fah right now - The point is
- fambli - a family
- face-basin - sink
- farepika - a prostitue
- fete - a party [from French fête]
- fingasmit - a thief
- fizzy - any kind of soda-tonic−
- flam - noun - a girl that one flirts with, verb - to flirt
- flim - film / a movie
- fling dah chune - play that song
- flipping - f*cking
- flounce-up - usually means to stamp one's foot in a display- showing a readiness to fight.
- follow-patturn / follow-fashion - a copycat
- foop - to engage in sexual intercourse [vulgar]
- forward - e.g. "da girl was given me forward" i.e. she was takin you on
- fowl-cock - a chicken
- fret - to bother
- frig-em-up - to mess up someone
- friggin - adverb (similar to f*cking) [Vulgar]
- from-starving, to lavin - a long time
- front-house - the living room.
- frowsy - to be smelly or musty
- fuh-true - "for truth?" for real, absolutely no exaggeration.
- fuzz-out- to be exhausted from strenuous activity e.g. 1. partying / 2. session(s) of energetic/ extended sexual activity
[edit] G
- gaa / gah - have to...
- gap - a street or road
- gau bline ya - To curse someone
- gettin-on - misbehaving, treat bad.
- gohblainyuh - (an exclamation)
- gift hamper - collection of goodies
- gimme - to give something
- gine - to be going / going to..
- go-across - go over by / go over to... (ex. "I gine go across by JBs Supercentre.")
- go-so / guh so - move that way...
- go-round - "move over".
- goathead - an idiot
- golliwog:- an insultive term, given to a loud un mannerly person. e.g Shade is acting like a golliwog.
- gone-cross - to become pregnant
- great-kind-kubba - a bigshot
- gree - to speak on friendly terms
- gree-back - to re-speak on friendly terms
- groun - a garden / a field ex: she in de groun
- gully-boar - one who has no class
- gussypa - a homosexual male
- gutaperk - a sling shot.
[edit] H
- hag - to bother
- hagga-maid - over worked in cleaning
- ham - a homosexual male
- hard-ears - you don't listen to what I tell you.
- hard-head / hard'n - you don't learn anything I tell you.
- hard mout cow - old (stupid) woman
- hard mout goat - old (stupid) man
- has-in - contains
- hay - here
- hell'em - to over work something
- hobby class - to be free of cost
- hold-down - stoop down low
- hold 'em joe - stay in control, wait a minute(?)
- horn / horning - cheat on a lover/spouse.
- humbug - to bother or annoy
- humfree - to be free of cost
- hurting up my head - forced to think about something confusing far too much.
[edit] I
- in-true / in-troot - "in truth?" for real? no exaggeration?
- in-a-short-short - just a moment, in a little while.
- in-two-twos - it happend really-- fast.
- irie - all right, everything is cool (from Jamaica) was also formerly the name of Trinidad.
[edit] J
- Jah - God (from Jamaica)
- jar - to stare at, notice, realise, vise (see 'vise') or to ponder while looking, e.g. "I now jar dah girl out dey"
- Jauntin - to be going fast / to be in a hurry
- jilt - to treat (esp. a woman) unfavourably
- jipsy - to be inquisitive
- jobby - faeces / to stool
- joe'heat mare - ran/running very fast
- johnny - an idiot
- Ju-C - ("Juicey") a soft-drink historically made in Barbados
- juck - to poke, stab or push [from Fula chuk]
- jump-up - to dance (Usually stated "Take a Jump-up")
[edit] K
- katspraddle - to fall hard/make fall hard
- kafuffle - confussion, commotion
- kawblema! - oh my goodness!
- keep quiet - be silent, stop moving around and sit still, or stop whatever you're doing because it's annoying.
- koshflicket! - damn!
- klim - Any brand of powdered milk (including the brand Klim)
- kunou-monou (Spelling?) - a so-called bewitching powder dropped into soups or stews.
[edit] L
- leff - leave / the direction known as left.
- lemme - let me
- less-noise - be silent.
- lick - hit
- lick-down / lick-dung - hit by a car...
- lick-mout - "Talk too much"
- lickrish - adj. to be greedy for food
- lime / liming - to hang-out, chill, or relax somewhere with others.
- like peas- adj. lots of something ex: licks like peas
- lil bit - for a little while ex: Ah gine up de gap lil bit
- lillit tongue - the clitoris
- line - a clothes line, or a series of houses in a row along a street.
- long-side - next to
- lookuh - look
- lower-down that - to turn down, usually the volume or the fire on the stove.
[edit] M
- manjak - tar or asphalt
- mash - to step on someone's foot "Man you jus' mash ma bad!"
- mum - relatively outdated term used for mom/grandma
- merr/murr - (An insult) Like saying "your mother!"
- yuh murr - (An insult) like saying "your mother!"
- yuh mahda- (An insult) Like saying "your mother!"
- mashup - to break, deconstruct or destroy.
- mek sport- to joke/kid around
- (you) mekin' sport - "your joking, big time!"
- mawfrie - a person who has both female and male parts, a hermaphrodite
- mek - make
- meeting turn - a historical form of "banking" that Barbadians did. It works like an office lottery that rotates to a different person every week. Everyone puts in money (i.e. $50) then every week a different person gets their turn to "take home" the full collection. Each person gets to take home the collection once per each cycle. It forces people to save money. Also known as su-su(spelling?)
- moppa-ton/mobba-ton - a really excessive amount
- muh - me
- malicious - to be inquisitive/nosy
- mofuhme - Need more for myself
- mout - mouth
- mussie/mussy - maybe, perhaps or probably
[edit] N
- naani - adj. to be nasty
- nek - to perform oral sex on a male
- never-see, come-see - over-exaggeration (from Trin-bago)
- ning-ning - tired/sleepy eyes.
- nucka-doggy' - little penis...
- nuff - a lot of...
- nuh / nuh? - "Yes?, Do you follow/understad what I'm saying"(Used Like Canadian "eh-?" or Australian "Aye-?"
- nutsi - the vagina
- nuxi - the vagina
- nuccie - the vagina
- nukie - the vagina
- nuk nuk - the vagina
- nuse - to use
- nyam - to eat [from Twi Nnyam]
[edit] O
- obeah - Witchcraft/Black Magic/sorcery of West African origin similar to 'voodoo'. [from Twi Obi]
- obzocky - to be weird looking or misshapen
- oh lordie (my goodness, gracious me) - "but, can you believe that?"
- Ol' haag - a vampire woman.
- onneat - to be under
- onstan - to understand
- opiten - v. to open
- opnumin - to open
- opunit - to open
- out-it-out - turn off the light.
- ovadayso/outdayso - over there
[edit] P
- pukaluka - female genitalia
- pailing - the zinc-metal galvanising used for walls of the yard, or roof of the house.
- pan - steelpan
- parro - a crack-head, someone so addicted to drugs that it often causes them to lose their valuables and belongings and live on the streets.
- pelttin-waist - to dance
- pickney - a child
- pick-pick - the penis
- picture - TV show/programme
- piece a' iron - rhythmic metel beating. (usually using the metal part of a car's break disc.)
- pipe - faucet
- plaster for every sore - excuse for every situation
- playing de' fool - acting annoying
- playing mas - par-taking in a Carnival festival event in the streets.
- pokey / poki - the vagina
- pon - on top / place 'upon
- pon'-top-of - more, after the first set. (ex. "Importing a car seems like the government charging we tax, pon-top of tax, pon-top of tax.")
- pooch / puche - the buttocks
- pop - any kind of soda tonic
- poppit - an idiot
- pot-starver - a skinny dog (with ribs showing)
- puhp - faeces / to stool
- pull-up! / pull-up-dat! - That song is nice! Play it from the beginning again.
- punarka - the vagina
- plug-it-out - to unplug from a socket
- poochlicka - someone who is yes person (ass kisser)
- punch that one - play that song, or turn up that song more.
- pussy - an idiot or referring to a female's vagina
- poop - to fart
- poor-great - used to describe someone who acts as if they are more refined than they really are.
[edit] R
- ragga - slang for Jamaican sounding-accent.
- raise up - to make the volume on the radio/TV louder
- ram - "smell bad" or "huge-party" / adj. to be full or crowded
- ramoff - adj. to be full or crowded
- rangate- [An Exclamation] (When pronuncing, the first syllable is extended so that it is long and slow to sound like "raaaaaaaaaaan--gate")[Vulgar] e.g. "Wa de Raaangate!"
- rasshole - as a noun to mean idiot...as a verb to mean to do foolishness. (When pronouncing, there is maximum emphasis on the first syllable so that it sounds like "raaaahhh-sole!")[Vulgar]
- redman - a brown or light-skinned negro
- red-leg - a poor Caucasian (usually from the eastern parish of St. John) [can be used as derogatory term]
- red-skin ting - description or to get the attention of a good looking female.
- roundabout - a traffic rotary
- rubbatail - n. a homosexual male
- rucka-tuk - awful noise, sound, or commotion
- rumfle-up / ramful-up wrinkled v. Usually refers to items (previously neat) e.g. Clothing, a bed, hairdo (girls) ( used with some aggitation)"You gone and rumfle-up my hair!
- run de route - let us go
[edit] S
- safe - cool, ok, good
- sail - To throw at something/someone (ex. "I gon' let this sail right cross da' wicket.")
- schuupse / scrhuspe / stupse - to suck ones teeth in exclamation to someone talking foolishness. (also done by Nigerians)
- scotch-it - wedge/place something in a tight area
- scotch-round - move, give me space
- sea-bath - swim
- sea cat - squid
- sea eggs - sea urchins
- she-she - a homosexual male / a transsexual
- shite - shit
- shrims - shrimp
- shunna' foot - Someone with bad ankles / flat feet.
- site-ok, to agree with something said
- size roun - to go around
- skank - a low classed female
- sket - a very promiscuous female
- skettel - a very promiscuous female
- skinning your teeth - grinning, smiling or laughing.
- sky-larke - to play the fool
- sieve / sive - a food strainer
- spry - to force or pull (ex. doan bother-to spry open those curtains...)
- soft - to be shy or afraid
- stan' pipe - a public water-faucet that used to be in every community of Barbados.
- stop - "stay" or "is located" (ex. "It's down by where da' house stop.")
- stop-cock - faucet
- stupse - verb - to suck on one's teeth in disgust. Expressive action.
- suck-a-bubbi - noun - a coolaid sold by a vendor[usually an old woman]
- su-su - see meeting turn.
- sweety - candy
- sweet-drinks - any kind of soda-tonic
- sweet-fuh-days - it is, or will be really, really, really nice good/fun
[edit] T
- tapered / tehpuhrd - a homosexual male
- too-nuff - very much
- too sweet - real nice.
- to-besides - I agree and in addition to that...
- trouble - To interfere/bother/harass/pickup/take/disturb (ex. "Don't trouble those cookies", "Don't trouble my coat over there")
- trunck - to perform anal sex on a female
- tacklings - your belongings
- toot-moon kyah - any, and everybody. "listen, doan you have every toot-moon kyah in my house you know."
- tukalacka - vagina
- turning bewitch - becoming crazy
- turning foolish - becoming forgetful
- turrofare - n. a promiscuous female
- tings - things
[edit] U
- uh??? - pardon?
- umpteenth - a whole lot
- unnit'do - to undo ex: unnit'do daa ting
[edit] V
- veranda - a special porch for showing off.
- vise - v. to understand
[edit] W
- walking-bout - running errands, going about ones' business.
- wall-house - a house predominantly made of cement
- way - where
- whax-palax - a hard hit.
- whax-palax-bruggadown-brax - a hard hit and fall
- when you hear the shout - you've just got to hear what happens next.
- wick - to engage in sexual intercourse with a fellow female
- wicka - a lesbian
- bajan-wine - a dance done by gyrating one's waistline around, but with one-leg doing the (Jamaican)butterfly dance.
- who-so, don't like-so - A hypocrite never likes when another person does the same thing
- wine - same as Bajan-wine but done without moving legs, stomach or chest/upper body. The goal is to show off body flexability/limberness.)
- woi! - (an exclamation) "WOW!" / "OH MY GOODNESS!"
- wuck / wok - work
- wufless - worthless, terrible, no good
- wuh - what
- wuh-law / wuh-loss - (an exclamation)
- wuk-up - a dance done by gyrating one's waistline, with heavy emphasis on the forward and backward motions.
- wunna - you all [from Twi unu]
[edit] Y
- yuh - you
- yam / yahm - to eat [from Twi Nnyam]
- yampi - the mucous in the corner of ones eye.
- yonder - over there (eg. I gine out yonder)
- you all-right, where you is - you have some false-sense of comfort, you think you don't have to worry about anything? Just wait...
- you wait! - listen, I'm going to deal with you harshly in a minute.
- Yuh-right! - "How observant!", or I agree and you were fully correct in doing (that).
- Yuh-shooting - your high-water pants are too short. "Aye man, yuh pants shooting."
- yute - a youth/ child/ offspring
[edit] Z
- ZR - "Zed-R" - a private-owned route taxi (So named because of the license plates beginning with "ZR")
[edit] Common Bajan sayings
Another tradition that goes hand-in-hand with 'speaking bajan' are words of wisdom that usually get passed-down from parent to child. When these are told to young children they're often not fully understood. However, with a heightened maturity and age these often witty sayings are usually understood later on in life as part a part of ones morals and values.
[edit] Sample
- The higher a monkey climbs up de tree de more you see he ass
- A thief from thief does mek God laugh.
- Daylight does run until night catch it.
- De higher monkey climb tree, de more he shows his arse.
- De more yuh peep, de less you see.
- Don't try to pick cents out of nonsense.
- Don't let any and everybody just come-long and throw in their few soft-dumplings to carry away your hard-grain rice.
- Empty vessels does make the most noise.
- Every skin teet ent a smile.
- Goat head everyday is better dan cow head only on Sunday.
- He[any pronoun/noun] aine na sweet bread.
- Head 'en mek fo' hat only.
- High wind knows where old house stop.
- Hard ears you wont hear, own way you will feel
- If de' dog bite you once he's a fool, but if he bite you twice den you're de' fool.
- If your neighbours' house is on fire, turn around and wet your own.
- If you can't stand trouble- never trouble trouble, because if you trouble trouble you'll be looking for trouble....
- If greedy wait, hot will cool.
- If you send a donkey to university- he does not come back a racehorse, just an educated jackass.
- If you give an idiot enough rope, eventually he gon' hang himself.
- What goes up must come down- if you spit in the sky, it gon' come back down and fall-in yuh eye.
- Just because someone has a lot of learning, don't always mean they always have a lot of common sense.
- If you give someone an inch, they gone comeback and tek an "L", If you give dem an ole' horse they gon' ride him to hell.
- One bellyful don' fatten a hog.
- One-smart dead at two-smart door. or One-smart get ketch at two-smart door.
- Two smart-rat, can' live in de' same hole.
- Pretty pretty t'ings does fool lil' children.
- Tekking you' time en laziness.
- Yuh can' wan' it in de glass an' de bottle too.
- Yuh have too much of what de cat lick he ear with.
- Yuh come with your fork and knife? Well go back for your spoon because 'em is soup.
- yuh got tight skin, when yuh mout close yuh ass does be open
- Wha' sweet in goat mout does burn he in he bamse.
Template:Pidgincreole-lang-study
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- [1]- bajanfuhlife.com
- ThatsBarbados.com
- Communicating with Bajans
- FunBarbados.com - Island Jargon
- Bajan at Ethnologue
- Caribbean Poetry-Barbados
- Barbados dialect
