San Nicolaas English
Caribbean English dialect spoken in San Nicolaas, Aruba
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
San Nicolaas English, also known as Bush English, is a variety of Caribbean English spoken in the town of San Nicolaas in Aruba.[1] It is spoken by many of the town's estimated 15.000 residents. It is also spoken by a smaller number of speakers in other parts of Aruba. San Nicolaas English is often spoken alongside Papiamento, one of the official languages of Aruba.[2][3] San Nicolaas English is also known as Bush English, Sani English, We English, Village Talk, etc.[4][5][6][7]
-
Germanic
- West Germanic
- North Sea Germanic
- Anglo–Frisian
- Anglic
- English
- Caribbean English
- San Nicolaas English
- Caribbean English
- English
- Anglic
- Anglo–Frisian
- North Sea Germanic
- West Germanic
| San Nicolaas English | |
|---|---|
| Region | Aruba |
Native speakers | 15.000 (estimation) |
Indo-European
| |
Early forms | |
| Dialects |
|
| Latin | |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | – |
History
San Nicolaas English is said to have developed from varieties of Caribbean English and English creoles brought over by labor migrants from the English-speaking Caribbean nations and territories such as Trinidad and Tobago and Grenada, who settled in San Nicolaas throughout the 20th century.[8] Mainly to work in jobs related to the Aruban oil industry, located near the town.[9] Migration to the oil refinery zone in the 1920s–30s brought together diverse Caribbean English speakers in San Nicolas. In a Papiamento-centric environment, English Creole speakers blended their speech with features from Papiamento (lexicon, grammar, particles), Dutch, and Spanish.
San Nicolaas English has had a profound impact on Aruba's local carnival music scene, with many contributions made by speakers to Aruban Calypso and Road March music.[10]
Today, San Nicolaas English is spoken by many of San Nicolaas' inhabitants and by a smaller number residing in other parts of Aruba originally from the town, including by many Arubans and immigrants both of British Caribbean and non-British Caribbean descent.
