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| Languages Spoken in Caribbean Islands |
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Even though English is the predominant language spoken in the Caribbean islands, it is sometimes hard to understand for many tourists. Most tourists recognize the language as English but sometimes have a little trouble understanding all the words. This is because the local inhabitants have modified the language for a variety of reasons.
Most Caribbean nations have their own versions of English know as Creole. This is a form of English with local slang and words mixed in. This Caribbean Creole was developed in the islands during the slave era by slaves who wanted to communicate with each other. The predominant language during that time was English. The slaves quickly learned English from their masters and added their own words from their own languages.
There are three basic types of Creole. They are the English based forms of Creole along with Dutch and French based Creole. The forms are directly related to the official language of the islands. French speaking nations like Martinique and Guadeloupe speak a form of French Creole, Dutch Creole is spoken in Curacao, Bonaire and Saba. The rest of the Caribbean speaks a form of English Creole as a result of the British influence in the region.
English is generally used in all the Caribbean islands with the exception of the French governed nations including Martinique, Guadeloupe and St Marin. US based tourists to these islands will find communication much more difficult in that very few people speak any English. Tourists visiting these islands originate from France and other European countries.
Author: staff writer 2009-02-07
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