St. Lucia Creole - Kweyole

St. Lucian's use two languages, English is the official one, and a French Creole is spoken between St. Lucian's...or, when my wife gets mad, she starts speaking Creole - she also uses Creole when she is talking to her family and doesn't want me to understand what she is saying, she thinks its funny...if she only knew how much I understand!

Creole, spoken by most St. Lucian's, is learned informally from a young age.

“ Sa ou fè?”
“Mwen la. Mwe ka chembè. Et ou meme?”
This is a typical Creole greeting between two St. Lucian's.
The first line means: “How are you doing?”
The reply: “I’m alright. I’m hanging in there. What about you?”

The language developed in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries when pidgin French was used as a contact language between masters and slaves and among Africans of diverse ethnic origins in the plantation economy.  A number of African languages have influenced Creole, among them Wolof, Fon, Mandingo, and Ewe.

Today, there are millions of Creole-speaking people in the world.  In the Caribbean, you will hear it spoken in Haiti, Dominica, Guadeloupe, Martinique and of course, St. Lucia.  Creole is also spoken in Louisiana and on the Pacific island of Mauritius. Over half a million people in Reunion speak the language, as well as the inhabitants of Madagascar and the Comoros Islands.

Like all living languages, Creole has evolved. There are slight differences between the Creole spoken in Guadeloupe and Martinique and that spoken in St. Lucia and Dominica. The first two are French territories, whereas the latter two are English- speaking.  For modern-day inventions like the motorcar and the computer, Creole borrows from French or English, depending on the predominant language.

In some islands, Creole is on the brink of extinction. In Trinidad, under French control for many years before being ceded to the British, Creole is spoken only by older generations. Creole is still heard in parts of rural, English speaking Grenada. In St. Vincent, however, Creole has disappeared. The language was banned by the British in the 18th century.  It was considered a subversive means of communication among the slaves.  In St. Lucia in the 1950’s and 60’s, the emerging middle class called it the “language of the servants” and “vulgar” and children were forbidden to speak it. A whole generation of St. Lucian bourgeois does not speak Creole.

Today, however, the language has a new respectability.  Linguists have created a written version with grammatical rules and a dictionary. It is studied in at least five universities in the United States. At the campus in neighboring Martinique, Creole has a faculty all of its own. A movement to restore local traditions in St. Lucia has given Creole a new life. The Folk Research Centre in Castries is mandated to preserve the language. The organization celebrates October as Creole Heritage Month. Local traditions and cuisine are honored and on Jounen Kweyol Internassional (International Creole Day), the population is encouraged to speak Creole at home and on the job.

A Creole version of the New Testament is now read in churches. And St. Lucia’s governor general, Dame Pearlette Louisy, gives her annual throne speech in two languages, English and Creole.  Creole also has its place on the local radio stations. Announcers who specialize in the language are among the most popular in St. Lucia. During election campaigns, politicians suddenly get back to their Creole roots to try and win over potential voters. 

So why not participate in the Creole revival?

Si ou pa ka palé kweyol, ou kay achetè yon ou dè livre en boutique-tala et ou ka vite compren lang-nou. Bienvini a Sent Lisi.

Translation: If you cannot speak Creole, you can buy one or two books available in local bookstores. You will soon understand our language.  Welcome to St. Lucia!