Gullah: Sea Island Creole

Uh yeddy um but uh ain sheum. -- Comment of a sea-island native in response to an inquiry about another

An outsider would be understandably bewildered if he heard a native of the sea islands say this -- and surprised to learn that meant "I have heard of him but I haven't seen him". Many words and phrases equally obscure to the visitor have been the everyday speech of the black people of the region as long as anyone can remember. It is not all one-sided; a coastal black on hearing the English of the northern visitor said: "Dey use dem mout' so funny."

~William. S. Pollitzer~

WELCOME~ Gullah is a creole form of English, indiggenous to the Sea Islands of South Carolina and Georgia (the area extends from Georgetown, SC to the Golden Isles of Georgia above Florida). Like all creoles, Gullah began as a pidgin language, transforming into a language in its own right with the first generation born in America. A similar form of plantation creole may have been widespread at one time in the southern United States, but Gullah now differs from other African American dialects of English (which do not vary greatly from the stadnard syntax, pronunciation and vocabulary). In this website, you are going to learn more about the Sea Island and also the Gullah language! Give a click on the Sea Island Portray above to begin your Journey~

[This is the end of term assignment for the course LING2040 Languages in Contact, The University of Hong Kong by Cho Jing Man Winnie (20011510520)] 8 May, 2004