The speech plays a major role in the uniqueness about a country in my eyes. In life I have encountered people from other areas and somehow I always get asked this question:
What language do Bahamians speak?
At first it would offend me that people were so ignorant to take an accent as a different language. Only recently had it occurred to me, that so many things we say as Bahamians, no one else in the rest of the world has a clue of what it means. Some words obviously I knew were strictly Bahamian but others I was totally oblivious to the fact that I was speaking in a Bahamian tongue.
To complete your total package of a Bahamas experience, one should at least be able to pick up a few words native to the country. This is Bahamianese 101: top ten words you should know.
*Please be advised that in order to give you the full effect of the word, examples may be in Bahamianese as well.*
1. Mudda Sick Dred / Vell or Well Mudda Sick: an expression of extreme emotion.
Ex: Mudda sick dred I fail my test. or Well mudda sick my car got towed!
2. Bey / Bei : refers to any person male or female.
Ex: What that bey name again? or Bey, bring me some water please!
3. Aye: the word is used as the question mark to any question.
Ex: Why you all dress up, you goin' out aye?
4. Yinna: meaning you all. Bahamian form of yal
Ex: Yinna ain tired yet ya been on the beach all day!
5. Ting-um: meaning someone or some thing. Often used unconsciously when you cannot remember the name of what you are talking about.
Ex: Um, um. Ting-um say come outside or What dat ting-um name that is screw in nails again?
6. Jonza/Joncer/Jonsa : a person that begs on the street or just on the whole.
Ex: Why you always pickin' out my plate you is a jonza aye?
7. Da,Dat & Dis: The, That and This.
Ex: Da girl come up in my face talkin about dis and dat.
8. Gal/gyal: girl, female.
Ex: I hope dis gal ain going out with dat bad lookin weave!
Ex: I hope dis gal ain going out with dat bad lookin weave!
9. Dred: boy, male. Or it can also be used as cool or "off the chain".
Ex 1: Dis dred so cool, you should talk to him.
Ex 2: Saw 6 was so dred I wanna watch it again!
Ex 1: Dis dred so cool, you should talk to him.
Ex 2: Saw 6 was so dred I wanna watch it again!
10. Gern (past tense gawn): Going and went.
Ex: You gern to the mall today or you already gawn?
Ex: You gern to the mall today or you already gawn?
At the end of it all, YES PEOPLE, Bahamians do speak English (and I mean British English with spelling and all), however we do have our own tongue. While you may figure local language would not play a role in your experience or view on the Bahamian people, it is good to know several words of what they say to avoid miscommunication.
Now that you know - go see for yourself!
-The Real Bahama Mama
video of a Bahamian trying to teach an American the phrase Mudda Sick
Lol this was so nice dredddd
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