Bowt too yaaz abak, wi mi shyaa sohn a di way di Kriol langwij mek wod (werd). Sohn
pipl (peepl) seh “wod” ahn sohn pipl seh “werd” fi di Inglish “word.” Jos laik sohn pipl seh
“peepl” fi di Inglish wod “people” bot adarels Kriol speekaz seh “pipl.” Di Kriol dikshineri ga
dehnya too way. Yoozhali, da oalda pipl weh seh “wod” ahn “pipl.” Plos noa seh dat mongz di
peepl weh mi foas fi bee slayv da Bileez—ahn eena di Kyaribeeyan—lat neva did taak eech
ada langwij. Memba seh dat Naijeerya bai ihself ga oava 400 langwij … Naijeerya deh pahn di
wes koas a Afrika, weh lata wi ansesta dehn mi kohn fahn ahn geh foas intu slayvri.
Da soh mek wi ansesta dehn grab di Inglish wod dehn az dehn mi hafu chrai andastan
weh fi du wen di slayv maasta mi-di taak. Wi noa seh dat Kriol langwij bara bowt 70% a ih
wod dehn fahn Inglish. Now, memba seh dat Inglish ishself bara lata wod fahn lata ada langwij!
Bot ges wat? Di grama fahn aal dehn Afrikan langwij fahn westan Afrika mi yooz di sayhn way
eena di Kriol. Soh Bileez Kriol da lata wod fahn Inglish, eevn if sohn seh difrant way, ahn moasli
Wes Afrikan grama. Pahn tap, sayka ih da langwij, Kriol faam lata ih oan wod tu! Tudeh wi
shyaa sohn difrant way how Kriol mek ih oan wod dehn. Wi yooz di langwij laybl eena Inglish
wid di ekzampl dehn eena Kriol.
Compounding: bakarop (back her up)
Reduction: kuknat (coconut); watsaid (water side)
Clipping: nai … fi anai (annoy)
Blending: mikays (make haste); kungo (let’s go)
wichin (which in fact…); faysi (in your face)
Colloquialism: Grigalishan (someone from Dangriga)
Borrowing: braata fahn di Spanish “barata”= cheap
[soh “braata” = soh cheep ih free/ ekschra]
Metathesis: aks (ask); sachiz (sausage)
Silvaana Udz, Ed.D da fahn Bileez. If yu waahn tel shee bowt sohnting speshal fu put eena dis Kriol
aatikl, eemayl: [email protected] Vizit: www.nationalkriolcouncil.org