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THE AFRICAN ELEMENT
Most of the creoles used in Europe (unlike the creole variety of Tok Pisin, for example) have their origins in the slave trade which involved four continents: Europe, Africa and North and South America. As a result, most of the Creoles used in Britain have an element of African language patterns in them.
The Great Circuit
Ships left English ports such as Liverpool, Lancaster, Bristol and Cardiff with cargoes of manufactured goods which they traded for slaves along the African coast. Slaves were boarded at different trading stations and usually had been captured inland, so that they spoke many different languages, and usually could not speak each other's language. Under these conditions, with very restricted contact between the slaves and the English crew, a pidgin developed which was used for communication not just between the slaves and their masters, but between the slaves themselves.
The slave traders brought their human cargo across the "Middle Passage" between Africa and the Americas and sold them there to plantation owners. Slaves who spoke the same language were kept apart deliberately to prevent them from rebelling. Thus the pidgin continued to be used among the slaves even on the plantations. Children born on the plantations came to learn the pidgin as their first language (though sometimes they also learnt an African language as well). In this way the pidgin acquired native speakers, and became a creole. Because of the importance of African languages in the slave community, the Creole spoken still showed many similarities to African languages (especially languages of West Africa, where most slaves came from.)
The African Element in Sranan Tongo
Sranan Tongo ("Surinam Tongue") is the creole language of Surinam, a large country on the Caribbean coast of South America. Surinam was a Dutch colony for 300 years up to 1975, but English, not Dutch, is the source for most of the vocabulary of Sranan. This is because English planters were the first to bring slaves to the colony. They stayed only about 20 years before being driven out by the Dutch. But the slaves stayed on, and an English-based creole had taken root in that short space of time.
Conditions in Surinam were so bad for the slaves that they died in very large numbers. Fresh loads of slaves had to be brought from Africa to Surinam throughout a period of about 200 years. Not surprisingly, the African influence on Sranan is very strong. This influence can be seen in idioms with African counterparts, like atibron meaning anger from ati "heart" and bron "burn", wasi-bere "last child" from wasi "wash" and bere "belly". Some West African languages have similar expressions. Personal names like Kwami, Kwasi and Abeni which are still used in Ghana (West Africa) were once common in Surinam.
The next exercise is designed to show some of the more subtle ways in which African speech patterns have influenced Sranan.
Activity 1: African Sound Patterns in Sranan
Compare the following Sranan words with their English sources. What differences can you see between the English and the Sranan words?
lobi love /lVv/
bigi big /bIg/
lafu laugh /la:f/
mofo mouth
ini in
tapu top
luku look
abi have
futu foot
seni send
leni lend
Hint: you need to go by the pronunciation, not the spelling (The slaves had only the sound to go on. They could not read or write English.) Write the English words out phonemically first. (The Sranan is already phonemic.) The first three have been done for you.
The slave traders completed the Great Circuit by sailing back to England with the products of the slaves' labour in their holds. More recently, the descendents of those slaves have completed the Great Circuit themselves by coming to Britain, bringing the Creole language with them.
http://www.ling.lancs.ac.uk/staff/mark/res...
Thursday, January 15th 2015 at 1:22PM
Steve Williams
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EBONICS: Q & A
2 Where does it come from?
There are two theories about the origins of this language system. One, called the 'dialectal hypothesis', asserts that Ebonics is a dialect of English, which evolved, as all dialects do, through a history of social and geographic separation of its speakers from speakers of other varieties of English. The other, called the 'creole hypothesis', asserts that Ebonics evolved out of a pidgin language that developed in West Africa as a result of the slave trade and commercial trade between Africans and Europeans during the 16th-19th centuries. This theory says that the pidgin language grew into a full-fledged language (a full language that develops from a pidgin is called a creole language) used by slaves, who, because of deliberate mixing of Africans from different tribes in the slave trade, did not share a common language. Creole languages have arisen in many parts of the world where European colonization has taken place, including the Caribbean, Hawaii, and Papua New Guinea.
These theories are not mutually exclusive; both can contain truth. Establishing the history of any language system (but especially one that has not been written down) is complex and detailed work, and linguists are still working on the origins of Ebonics. It is, however, well-established that (a) Ebonics has some features that are also found in West African languages; (b) some American English words (tote, yam and others) may well be borrowings from African languages; (c) Ebonics shares many features with many dialects of English; (d) the evolution of Ebonics since the end of the slave trade and the migration of many southern Blacks to the north shows that developments typical of dialect divergence are also taking place.
http://cla.calpoly.edu/~jrubba/Ebonics.htm...
Thursday, January 15th 2015 at 7:12PM
Steve Williams
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By the time of the American Revolution, varieties among slave creoles were not quite mutually intelligible.[clarification needed]Dillard quotes a recollection of "slave language" toward the latter part of the 18th century:[15]
Kay, massa, you just leave me, me sit here, great fish jump up into da canoe, here he be, massa, fine fish, massa; me den very grad; den me sit very still, until another great fish jump into de canoe; but me fall asleep, massa, and no wake 'til you come...
Not until the time of the American Civil War did the language of the slaves become familiar to a large number of educated whites. The abolitionist papers before the war form a rich corpus of examples of plantation creole. In Army Life in a Black Regiment (1870), Thomas Wentworth Higginson detailed many features of his soldiers' language.
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/African_Ame...
Thursday, January 15th 2015 at 9:03PM
Steve Williams
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English creole (32 hits)
SUBJECT
An English-based creole language is a creole language derived from the English language
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YOU, selfProfessed 'whiteMan' steveAdam ARE a LYING writing donkey with this RACIST nonsense.....
..............slaves had only the sound to go on. They could not read or write English..............they spoke many different languages..........slaves had only the sound to go on. They could not read or write English......Surinam was a Dutch colony ........creole language of Surinam.......... Ebonics is a dialect of English
Thursday, January 15th 2015 at 6:12PM
Steve Williams
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so selfProfessed 'whiteMan' steveAdam ------ African Asians COULD not WRITE---1492-1864?
is this the RACIST I G N O R A N C E
---- YOU want to give the African American Families?
YOU are NOTHING at BIA, but a tool of 'WHITE SUPREMACY"
THE FACTS.......
1. Spanish and Portuguese SLAVED 200 Years BEFORE the englishDutch
2. AfricanAsians were in America before the Spanish and Portuguese
3. AND slaves were in American 200 Years BEFORE the englishDutch
4. Spanish and Portuguese --- written LANGUAGES are AFRICAN ASIAN
5. and the AfricanAsian TAUGHT the Spanish and Portuguese Sciences and Civilization............
6. the AfricanAsian RULED the Spanish and Portuguese 730-1492
YOU, selfProfessed 'whiteMan' steveAdam ARE a LYING writing donkey ----- LEAVE BIA
Friday, January 16th 2015 at 8:29AM
robert powell
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Do you think Ebonics is a language Robert?
Friday, January 16th 2015 at 8:59AM
Steve Williams
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English creole (32 hits)
SUBJECT
An English-based creole language is a creole language derived from the English language
now you ask me an OFF SUBJECT racistlyIgnorant NONSENSE question?
"..........Do you think Ebonics is a language Robert?
Friday, January 16th 2015 at 7:59AM
Steve Williams
****************************************************English Dictionary(our language of communication)
Full Definition of LANGUAGE
1
a : the words, their pronunciation, and the methods of combining them used and understood by a community
(1) : audible, articulate, meaningful sound as produced by the action of the vocal organs
(2) : a systematic means of communicating ideas or feelings by the use of conventionalized signs, sounds, gestures, or marks having understood meanings
(3) : the suggestion by objects, actions, or conditions of associated ideas or feelings
(4) : the means by which animals communicate
(5) : a formal system of signs and symbols (as FORTRAN or a calculus in logic) including rules for the formation and transformation of admissible expressions
2
a : form or manner of verbal expression; specifically : style
b : the vocabulary and phraseology belonging to an art or a department of knowledge
c : profanity
3 : the study of language especially as a school subject
4 : specific words especially in a law or regulation
Do you think EBONICS is a Language ?
I DO NOT, and I DO NOT believe creole is a language based on English Dictionary............
Saturday, January 17th 2015 at 10:15AM
robert powell
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1
a : the words, their pronunciation, and the methods of combining them used and understood by a community
Ebonics certainly meets this definition. Thank you Robert.
Saturday, January 17th 2015 at 1:22PM
Steve Williams
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English creole (32 hits)
SUBJECT
or for OFF SUBJECT steveAdam-----(pas' ) (han'), (bat) (baf), (mah or rahd)
Ebonics remained a little-known term until 1996.
It does not appear in the 1989 Oxford English Dictionary, nor was it adopted by linguists.
The term became widely known in the United States due to a controversy over a decision by the Oakland School Board to denote and recognize the primary language (or sociolect or ethnolect) of African American children attending school, and to acquire budgeted funds to facilitate the teaching of standard English.
The term is linked with the nationally discussed controversy over the decision by the Oakland School Board, which adopted a resolution to teach children "standard American English" through a specific program of respect for students' home language and tutoring in the "code switching" required to use both standard English and Ebonics.
2015---I do not KNOW anyone from OAKLAND, California
2015---I do not BELIEVE the Oakland School Board has the greatest Scholars----
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The Educated Nations ---- all over the WORLD, have an Alphabet in their Language, Grammar, methods of combining the words used and use their LANGUAGE to develop their Organized community.
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What does Ebonics look like?
These distinctive Ebonics pronunciations are all systematic, the result of regular rules and restrictions; they are not random 'error'--and this is equally true of Ebonics grammar. For instance, Ebonics speakers regularly produce sentences without present tense is and are, as in "John trippin" or "They allright". But they don't omit present tense am. Instead of the ungrammatical *"Ah walkin", Ebonics speakers would say *"Ahm walkin." Likewise, they do not omit is and are if they come at the end of a sentence--"That's what he/they" is ungrammatical. Many members of the public seem to have heard, too, that Ebonics speakers use an 'invariant' be in their speech (as in "They be goin to school every day"); however, this be is not simply equivalent to is or are. Invariant be refers to actions that occur regularly or habitually rather than on just one occasion.
STOP IT, LEAVE BIA...................
Saturday, January 17th 2015 at 5:55PM
robert powell
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The preferred designation now seems to be AAVE, African American Vernacular English, but Irma would always say that Ebonics was her first language.
Saturday, January 17th 2015 at 6:09PM
Steve Williams
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Robert, have you noticed that Harry consistently drops the ball and leaves you to pick it up? Which you do.
Saturday, January 17th 2015 at 6:29PM
Steve Williams
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English creole (32 hits)
SUBJECT
?????? The preferred designation now seems to be AAVE, African American Vernacular English, but Irma would always say that Ebonics was her first language.
Saturday, January 17th 2015 at 5:09PM
Steve Williams
AND
Robert, have you noticed that Harry consistently drops the ball and leaves you to pick it up? Which you do.
Saturday, January 17th 2015 at 5:29PM
Steve Williams
1. again---subject and MAJOR ballDropper-----Do you think ebonics is a LANGUAGE?
2. sweetIrma has ceased to be able to communicate in English, ebonics or anything
3. harry, my African American Family member is a selfProfessed 68 IQ retardant of 3000 BC, 0, or 2015 History, Scholarship and Science BUT I do not Bully the mentallyChallenged--- I have worked many years with the educationallyChallenged and I will always help them......
Saturday, January 17th 2015 at 6:38PM
robert powell
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As you like to say Robert, the internet is forever.
(ROTFL) @ MY PRESIDENT, THANKS SO MUCH FOR THROWING IN A LITTLE "EBONICS' INTO YOU SPEECH AT YOUR RALLY (C- (342 hits)
SPAN) TODAY. NO NEED FOR YOUR APOLOGY TO THE 'ENGLISH' TEACHERS...AS THE TEACHERS HERE IN CA. MUST HAVE WORKING KNOWLEDGE OF THIS LEGAL LANGUAGE OR THEY CAN LOOSE THE RIGHT TO TEACH IN GRADE SCHOOL. YEP, MORE OF THE RESULTS OF "THOSE PEOPLES " DAMANDS THAT THE CONSTITUTION'S DEMANDS OF EQUALITY BE UP HELD. (S-M-I-L-E)
Posted By: ROBINSON IRMA
Saturday, September 1st 2012 at 3:44PM
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Sunday, January 18th 2015 at 7:58AM
Steve Williams
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(ROTFL) @ MY PRESIDENT, THANKS SO MUCH FOR THROWING IN A LITTLE "EBONICS' INTO YOU SPEECH AT YOUR RALLY (C- (342 hits)
SPAN) TODAY. NO NEED FOR YOUR APOLOGY TO THE 'ENGLISH' TEACHERS...AS THE TEACHERS HERE IN CA. MUST HAVE WORKING KNOWLEDGE OF THIS LEGAL LANGUAGE OR THEY CAN LOOSE THE RIGHT TO TEACH IN GRADE SCHOOL. YEP, MORE OF THE RESULTS OF "THOSE PEOPLES " DAMANDS THAT THE CONSTITUTION'S DEMANDS OF EQUALITY BE UP HELD. (S-M-I-L-E)
Posted By: ROBINSON IRMA
Saturday, September 1st 2012 at 3:44PM
3000, 0 2012-2015 ------ NONSENSE and Falsehood---then and NONSENSE ---Today
Sunday, January 18th 2015 at 9:29AM
robert powell
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What do you think about Spanish in the USA? How about Arabic, Japanese, Russian? Nonsense Robert?
Sunday, January 18th 2015 at 1:16PM
Steve Williams
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Me, all I try to do is keep us as a people to learn that we have a history of survival. We shall over come this assault on Ebonics that is now so wide spread since it has been legally accepted as a LANGUAGE!!!!! some examples of this assault has been made by brother Clark...therefore I now ask us one and ALL these questions:
1. When we hear our family members say the words like 'chunk" do we deem them:ignorant, something to be ashamed of, lazy, anti-American,or try to understand what they are saying?
2. How many of us first language was not the language of our parents?You know like they spoke English and we spoke Latin or English as spoken in Australia?
3. Did we learn standard English in public school, college because our parents were too lazy to do this/teach us this?
4. Is it better when finding a job to be able to speak only Standard English or more than one languages? You know like if you want a job in a certain country or even a certin part of America that we speak the way the locals speak or not?If this is so then why not Ebonics????????!!!!!!even with our friends, family members?
and, to my brother in spirit Steve, what we do so you can better understand what we say is called "code switchiing"...also once my husband and I were having a major argument. then he just sit down and started laughing and could not stop laughing.When he was able to stop laughing at me, he asked what in the world was that language I was speaking.Little did I realize that I was so mad at him I could not speak in Standard English so I had reverted to my first language...Ebonics(smile)
Thursday, April 10th 2014 at 5:47PM
ROBINSON IRMA
http://blackwomenconnect.com/content/15836...
Sunday, January 18th 2015 at 2:16PM
Steve Williams
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English creole (32 hits)
SUBJECT
........What do you think about Spanish in the USA? How about Arabic, Japanese, Russian? Nonsense Robert?
Sunday, January 18th 2015 at 12:16PM
Steve Williams
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There is a Spanish Speaking Population in the USA and they use Spanish to Develop their Community
-------------in FACT they will very shortly, 2020 be the DOMINANT Democratic American Population
-------------La Lingua Del Amor es Espanol ------- I speak and write Spanish ------
There is a Japanese Speaking Population in the USA and they use Japanese to Develop their Community
-----------I have an olde Muslim friend and I do need to learn more Japanes
There is a Russian Speaking Population in the USA and they use Russian to Develop their Community
-----------Many of my Balkan Muslim brothers speak Russian and I hear it when I get a haircut or autoRepair
The Spanish/Japanese/Russian Americans also have Many Spanish/Japanese/Russian NATIONS in the WORLD
an Ebonic speaker is NONSENSE in America and in the Spanish/Japanese/Russian NATIONS and the WORLD
maybe the last Ebonic speaker in americaWas your deceased friend....
Sunday, January 18th 2015 at 6:42PM
robert powell
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She was much more than a friend.
Sunday, January 18th 2015 at 7:42PM
Steve Williams
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