Barbadian Dialect
"Get your Coconut water,
Good for your daughter,
Make you strong like a lion,
Give you plenty of iron !!!!"
By Irving Burgie , 1950's
While English is the official language spoken in Barbados, Barbadians speak with an accent best described as a combination of the African and British languages. The Bajan dialect uses words in a colorful, expressive, fast paced manner that can be a bit tricky to follow at times.
| Bajan Dialect |
English Meaning |
| Pompasettin |
Showing off |
| Wuking Up |
A gyrating, energetic dance often done to Calypso music |
| Sea Bathing |
Swimming |
| Ignorant |
To be aggressive |
| Malicious |
Nosy |
| Duppie |
Ghost |
| Lime |
To hang around |
| C'dear |
Awww… (sympathetic) |
| Licking ya mout |
Talking too much |
| Sweet fa so |
Very nice |
| Tha fa' lik ya |
Serves you right! |
| Trouble don' set up like rain |
You cannot always see trouble coming |
| The sea en' got no back door |
Once you get into a situation, you might not be able to get back out. |
| Pretty-pretty things does fool li'l children |
Superficial things impress naïve people |
Barbados has cultivated a number of outstanding and talented writers, playwrights and poets. Some of our poets and writers such as Adisa (Aja) Andwele, Edward Kamau Brathwaite and George Lamming are internationally known.
Books on Barbadian Poetry are available at leading bookstores and at The Barbados Museum & Historical Society.
A very funny email continually goes around to fellow Barbadians around the world about famous Barbadian sayings called "Ya Know Ya is a Bajan When..." |
