subject: Languages in the Caribbean Islands [print this page] Languages in the Caribbean Islands Languages in the Caribbean Islands
When checking out the Caribbean Islands, one of the appealing facets of the culture are the distinct languages in the Caribbean Islands that are spoken. When you hear English voiced there, it's not American or of Great Britain dialects, but it has a unique accent that's extremely wonderful to listen to. It definitely displays the diversity of the cultural background, and a history of the Caribbean that is interesting and complex.
You will discover four official languages in the Caribbean spoken. Having said that there's also number of creoles and local patois (hybrid languages). Many the Creole languages in the Caribbean Islands are customarily used in inter-ethnic communication. The four main languages are:
Spanish (the first European language introduced and covers West and Central Caribbean)
Dutch (on those islands of the Wonderland Antilles)
English (North, Central and East)
French (Central and East)
Also, there are several additional lesser local languages. A lot of the native languages are becoming extinct or are dying out.
From the Caribbean, the official language is commonly determined by which ever colonial power (Britain, Spain, France, or the Netherlands) held sway on the island at first or longest. English is a first or second language in many Caribbean islands as well as being the unofficial "language of tourism". It's the state language of Anguilla, Antigua, the Bahamas, Barbados the British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Dominica, Grenada, Jamaica, St. Croix, St. John St. Kitts, and St. Thomas.
Spanish is the language spoken by the majority of men and women, as it is the state language of the two biggest islands, Cuba and the Dominican Republic, as well as sharing English as the official language of Puerto Rico and Trinidad/Tobago.
French is spoken in Haiti, Martinique, and Guadeloupe, and St. Martin.
Dutch is the official language of Curacao, St Maarten, and two very small islands.
People who converse in languages in the Caribbean Islands dialects, which have been called Patois or Creole, talk a language that consists of a combination between European English, Spanish, French, Dutch and African languages. Still, tourists often find themselves thoroughly rewarded after they hear a 'native language' voiced, as often a Creole is used as the domestic language.
Soon following attaining independence, many Caribbean countries, in the quest for national unity, selected a single language (usually the former colonial language) for usage in government and education. In recent times, Caribbean countries have grown increasingly conscious of the significance of linguistic diversity. Language policies that are becoming developed today are pretty much targeted at multilingualism.
