Barbados

Barbados and Bajan

06/10/18

Barbados was colonized by the British and was under British rule for over 300 years. As a result, English became the official language and predominant language of Barbados. Although English is the predominant language, it is common to hear English with a distinctive Barbadian accent known as "Bajan" or "Barbadian English".

Why is English spoken in Barbados?

In addition to having typical expressions, this variant of English is spoken with its own accent.

Typically Bajan words are commonly shortened versions of their original form. For example, “ting” refers to “thing” and “wha” to “what”.

How is Bajan spoken?

Link: https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMjmqK51w/

To understand these differences, let's watch a short video from an interview with Rihanna.

In addition to Rihanna, Barbados boasts many other cultural landmarks, being one of the most prominent called "Crop over festival". This festival offers several entertainment options, such as musical competions that mainly involve the generes: calypso and soca.

Culture and barbadian traditons

- peculiarities of the local dialect - based on English but unique and atractive

- its more than a delightful tropical landscape - typical festivities, musical genres and hospitality

Curiosities and conclusions

- geographically and economically small - HDI of 0.795