Barbadian English and Bajan Proverbs in Richard Allsopp's 'A Book of Afric Caribbean Proverbs' ​

The uniqueness of Caribbean English lies in the fact that no other English language variety appears to be as rich and as intriguing. Indeed, many elements of its lexicon and its phraseology find their origin in the West African languages spoken in the 18th and 19th centuries by millions of slaves transplanted to Caribbean plantations during the transatlantic slave trade. These lexical and phraseological items stand out not simply because they are inimitable, as they do not always have a direct translation equivalent in British or American English, but also because they provide an unambiguous and concrete view of the world which slaves and their descendants were brought into. What is incredibly stimulating about this topic is the paremiological repertoire of “Afric” (Allsopp 2004: xiv) communities, which represents the heritage that these populations (and their languages) were able to preserve. Naturally, over the past centuries, some of these cultural elements slowly disappeared. However, thanks to ad hoc dictionaries and glossaries, part of the proverbial wisdom and memory of said languages still exists. This dissertation consists of three chapters. In the first chapter, Barbadian English and Bajan, the differences between the official language of Barbados, namely Barbadian English, and the English-based creole spoken throughout the island, namely Bajan, are discussed. As a matter of fact, phraseology in the Barbadian community is one of the essential means used over time to display its astonishing and solid sense of national identity; it is indeed through these pieces of prefabricated language that outsiders may understand specific concepts, behaviours or situations pertinent to this Caribbean territory. In the second chapter, The Notion of Proverb, the importance and apparently widespread use of proverbs in everyday speech is emphasized by clarifying their significance for Caribbean English speakers as a whole and, in particular, for Barbadians. Proverbs are not only linguistic devices commonly used to make the discourse sound more eloquent and articulate, but they also convey a deeper meaning and provide insight into the history and culture of a particular nation. Lastly, in the third and final chapter, the core source of this dissertation, namely A Book of Afric Caribbean Proverbs, compiled by Richard Allsopp (2004), is described and analyzed. This paremiological dictionary is a fundamental lexicographic enterprise which includes a very large collection of approximately 1,300 Caribbean proverbs derived almost entirely from Afric Caribbean folklore and lifestyle. Consequently, the main aim of this investigation is the extraction of proverbs which are said to exclusively belong to Barbadian English and/or Bajan.