GULLAH GEECHEE
The language spoken by the Gullah Geechee people is most often referred to as "Gullah." Gullah is a creole language made up of English, and several African languages (Turner, 2002). The primary African language that makes up the Gullah language is Kria, spoken by the people of Sierra Leone (Turner, 2002). For many years scholars accepted the Gullah language as merely an improper, or slang, form of American English influenced by a southern dialect. It wasn't until historians and linguists began to research and study the language that they concluded it should be recognized as a creole. According to Merriam-Webster's Dictionary, a creole is "a language that has evolved from a pidgin* but serves as the native language of a speech community." In the case of the Gullah Geechee community, the Gullah language serves as their native language. It is thought by historians and linguists that the language evolved as the West African slaves began to communicate with the European colonists in South Carolina and Georgia (Turner, 2002). However, because the slaves in this particular region were often left in charge of the rice plantations, experiencing very little interaction with the plantation owners, they maintained much of their native tongue (Opala, 2012). This is one of the more unique characteristics of the Gullah Geechee culture because in most other areas of the United States slaves and immigrants assimilated into the culture and eventually learned to speak English as their primary language. Many Gullah words today can be traced to similar words in Kria (see the image, below). It is also important to note that one of the few complete translations of an English document into Gullah is the New Testament of the Bible.
The Language of the Gullah Geechee
Because Gullah is a creole based on American English, most native English speakers can read and understand a fair amount of the language. The Gullah language often spells words based on the way they sound, which makes it easier for non-native Gullah speakers to read and understand (Turner, 2002). Linguists have also studied the variations within the Gullah language and have determined many of of the sea islands have slight differences in the Gullah they speak (Crook, 2008). Linguists have not, however, been able to determine a specific reason for these differences. One theory suggests the slaves the Gullah on each island descended from originated in different parts of West Africa (and therefore came to the United States speaking different dialects). Another theory suggests variations in development of the language based on each sea island's unique plantations and time slaves spent with English-speaking colonists (Turner, 2002). Below is another sampling of De Nyew Testament that shows an authentic sample of the language.
