Cayman Islands English

Cayman Islands English
RegionCayman Islands
Latin (English alphabet)
Language codes
ISO 639-3–
IETFen-KY

Cayman Islands English, also called Caymanian English, is an English variety spoken in the Cayman Islands. Its early development was influenced by Early Modern English, Guinea Coast Creole English, and the Igbo and Twi languages of West Africa.[1][2][3] More recent influences include Standard English, Jamaican Patois and African-American Vernacular English.[4] It has been described as both a non-creole and a semi-creole, due to its differences from and similarity to Caribbean Creole languages.[5][2][6]

About 90% of Caymanians speak English, as the official language of the islands,[7][8] but Cayman Islands English encompasses a broad range of dialects.[1][5] Bay Island English is a related English variant which developed from Cayman Islands English.[9]

  1. ^ a b Graham, Ross (1997). Bay Islands English: Linguistic Contact and Convergence in the Western Caribbean (PDF) (PhD). University of Florida. Retrieved 18 January 2023.
  2. ^ a b Holm, John A. (2000). "Semi-creolization: Problems in the development of theory". In Neumann-Holzschuh, Ingrid; Schneider, Edgar Werner (eds.). Degrees of restructuring in Creole languages. Creole language library. Amsterdam: Benjamins. pp. 22–3. ISBN 978-90-272-5244-9.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference :12 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference :2 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ a b Holm, John A. (1994), Burchfield, Robert (ed.), "ENGLISH IN THE CARIBBEAN", The Cambridge History of the English Language: Volume 5: English in Britain and Overseas: Origins and Development, The Cambridge History of the English Language, vol. 5, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp. 328–381, doi:10.1017/chol9780521264785.008, ISBN 978-0-521-26478-5, retrieved 2024-10-04
  6. ^ Neumann-Holzschuh, Ingrid; Schneider, Edgar Werner, eds. (2000). "Introduction". Degrees of restructuring in Creole languages. Creole language library. Amsterdam: Benjamins. p. 2. ISBN 978-90-272-5244-9.
  7. ^ "Cayman Islands Languages - Demographics". www.indexmundi.com. Retrieved 2024-10-04.
  8. ^ "Cayman Islands Facts | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 2024-10-04.
  9. ^ Graham, Ross (2010), Schreier, Daniel; Schneider, Edgar W.; Williams, Jeffrey P.; Trudgill, Peter (eds.), "Honduras/Bay Islands English", The Lesser-Known Varieties of English: An Introduction, Studies in English Language, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp. 92–135, doi:10.1017/cbo9780511676529.007, ISBN 978-0-521-88396-2, retrieved 2024-10-04