8 - Bahamian English

Summary

Introduction

Situated in the southern Atlantic Ocean, the Commonwealth of The Bahamas (henceforth ‘the Bahamas’) is an archipelago of more than seven hundred islands – of which twenty-nine are inhabited – extending over 750 miles from near southeastern Florida to northern Hispaniola. The landmass of approximately 5,400 square miles supports around 300,000 people (CIA, 2006). The islands tend to be relatively flat, exposed coral formations, with few rising more than fifty or sixty feet above sea-level. They also tend to have relatively thin soils that are poorly suited for most agriculture, which has tied Bahamians closely to ship-building and farming the abundant marine life in the shallow seas (the name Bahamas come from the Spanish baja mar, meaning ‘shallow sea’). Despite technically not being a part of the Caribbean, the Bahamas joined the Caribbean Community in 1983 (without joining the Common Market). Recently, commercial fishing has given way to tourism, which now makes up over 60 per cent of the Bahamian economy. Banking has become the second largest sector of the Bahamian economy.

Just as the Bahamas has traditionally been overshadowed by other Caribbean destinations, the speech of Bahamians has not garnered the linguistic attention of some Caribbean creoles, despite being relevant to a number of interesting questions. For example, has Bahamian English retained traces of early Spanish exploration beyond its name? Has the geographical and cultural closeness to the Caribbean resulted in any linguistic accommodation to Caribbean creoles? Has the islands' relative isolation resulted in linguistic basilectalization?