Di Kriol Grama Sistim

Sir Colville Young (Dakta Young, hoo doz teech wahn lang taim abak bowt dis) mi du sohn a di fos werk di put dong pahn paypa di Kriol grama ahn weh Kriol werd kohn frahn. Dakta Young mi du fi hihn dakta digree bak eena 1973 pahn di Bileez Kriol langwij. Den, eena 2005, afta lata yaaz di werk eena Bileez wid di Bileez Kriol Projek, Ken Decker mi rait wahn grama buk bowt wi Kriol langwij. Hihn mi werk wid i Nashanal Kriol Kongsl a Bileez fu poblish it. Eena 2009, wahn free verzhan a dis The Song a Kriol gaahn op pahn di Intanet.

 

Tudeh, wi shyaa wahn lee bit fahn payj 44 weh ga wahn chaat wid di Kriol Personal Pronong dehn. Memba seh dat eena Kriol, "there is a clear distinction between long and short vowels. This vowel length plays a grammatical role for variation in the pronouns. By lengthening the vowel of mi, yu, wi, or transition to a diphthong (Ah and Ai) the speaker can provide emphasis or clarification.

 

 

Gi mi di buk.   Give the book to me. (meaning: I want the book.)
Gi mee di buk.   Give the book to me. (meaning: not to someone else.)
Yu mosn taak laik dat!   Do not say such things! (Those are the wrong things to say.)
Yoo mosn taak laik dat!   You should not talk like that! (Others might, but not you.)

 

 

 

The phrases aal a unu and aal a wi are not actually personal pronouns; as phrases they serve the function of providing some emphasis as the other emphatic forms mentioned above. Another method of providing emphasis on the subject is to place a personal pronoun after a proper name.

 

 

 

Da weh Beti shee di du?   What (in the world) is Betty (by herself) doing?

 

 

 

The use of 'mee' as an emphatic 1st person singular subject pronoun is limited to a small set of possible phrases, such as:

 

 

 

Mee noh noa!   'I do not know!'
Mee gaan!   'I am leaving!'

 

 

 

 

Dat da aal fi now... chek owt di websait bowt Kriol grama!

 

 

 



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Kriol is the language spoken by many Belizeans, especially the Creole people of Belize. Although it is often perceived as a dialect of English, it is indeed it's own language with grammar and spelling rules. The National Kriol Council of Belize was created to promote the culture and language of the Kriol people of Belize, as well as harmony among all the ethnic groups of Belize. Please visit the website of the National Kriol Council of Belize for lots of good information about the Kriol language and the Creole people.


The Kriol Council has been kind enough to send us the weekly "Weh Wi Ga Fi Seh" column that is usually published in the Reporter.


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