People always ask if they will be able to understand the Belizean Lingo. In my case, the answer was yes. They speak a type of lingo called Creole, I was raised in Charleston, SC and they speak the Gullah dialect there. It is a combination of the British and West African languages. I was raised by a Gullah laydee.. Knowing a little Spanish came in handy when I was dealing with Spanish speaking workers working on my house. I do mean a little.Knowing Spanish is not a must however. Actually, my Belizean friends would always ask, How do you speak da Creole so well? Because I was raised on da Gullah.
The colloquialisms are what take a good ear to catch. When you go to a store to buy something and they tell you it is " finished", that means they have run out. If they say someone has " chanced" them, that means they have been cheated or rooked. When they say " don reach" they have already arrived. When they open a gate or something they say" haul it" It is a very simple lingo. In English we may have numerous ways to indicate we are angry.. Hot, steamed, hacked, mad, ticked.... They have one word which is inclusive. They are " vexed".... One old man told me he didn't want to anger the people with whom he was living or they would be vexed with him and dash him out I had only heard dash used as a verb in Twas the night Before X-mas. When someone is angry he may " rail up" , or if a dog is agitated it is railing up...
I really enjoy the linguistic aspect of it all......
The colloquialisms are what take a good ear to catch. When you go to a store to buy something and they tell you it is " finished", that means they have run out. If they say someone has " chanced" them, that means they have been cheated or rooked. When they say " don reach" they have already arrived. When they open a gate or something they say" haul it" It is a very simple lingo. In English we may have numerous ways to indicate we are angry.. Hot, steamed, hacked, mad, ticked.... They have one word which is inclusive. They are " vexed".... One old man told me he didn't want to anger the people with whom he was living or they would be vexed with him and dash him out I had only heard dash used as a verb in Twas the night Before X-mas. When someone is angry he may " rail up" , or if a dog is agitated it is railing up...
I really enjoy the linguistic aspect of it all......
