Bajanyms

• Figure 1. Locations of Relevant Places Embedded in Barbadian English and Bajan Toponymic Idioms

• Table 1. A Quantitative Comparison of Amateur Glossaries of Barbadian English and Bajan
• Table 2. A Quantitative Comparison of Professional Dictionaries of Caribbean English Including Barbadian English and Bajan Entries

Jeannette Allsopp

As its title attests, this publication on Toponymic Idioms in Barbadian English and Bajan is a very timely work in the development of Barbadian English and Bajan within the context of Caribbean English as a whole. The area of toponyms, or place names, is one that is often taken for granted and not seriously researched or explored, and the few historically enlightened members of the community are the only ones who can fully appreciate the importance of such names in relation to the historical evolution of Barbadian, and indeed, Caribbean society.

The intrinsic value of this book is that, in examining and researching toponymic idioms in Barbados, it gives a clear picture of the linguistic and cultural growth of the society in its entirety. There is no doubt that an understanding of the way in which language originated from the entire contact experience between European colonizers, in this case British, and enslaved Africans, is crucial not only for revelatory self-knowledge, but also for learning how to communicate on a day-to-day basis.

The inherent diglossia between Barbadian English and Bajan that reveals itself as the phraseology and idiomaticity of Barbadian language, brought to the fore through the in-depth study evident in this book, reflects the sociolinguistic underpinnings of the Barbadian and Caribbean linguistic context, forged as it was out of European colonization and settlement.

The author has constructed this volume very carefully and systematically in four chapters which deal, first of all, with the establishment of the fact that the language situation in Barbados is bilingual between Barbadian English and Bajan. The former is the variety that is “considerably closer to British English if compared to other geographical varieties of (world and Caribbean) English,” as cited in the first chapter, and which developed out of the “speech of Southeast England […], Southwest England […], and […] the East Midlands.” However, obvious retentions from West African languages, “pan-Caribbean” tendencies and, much more recently, the phenomenon of Americanization also play a part in that development.

The other language, Bajan, or Barbadian Creole English, is the one used by the majority of the society, and stems from the close contact of the British varieties that shaped Barbadian English, as spoken by Irish, Scottish and Welsh indentured servants with the substrate languages and dialects of Sub-Saharan Africa, belonging to the Niger-Congo family, as spoken by enslaved West Africans on the plantations.

In order to inform the reader more fully about the linguistic mechanisms involved in the emergence of place names, the second chapter provides a detailed analysis of such processes, supplying the terminology involved. The author emphasizes the fact that names reflect the formation and advancement of a society and contribute significantly to its identity as they label its “language, […] history, geography, folklore, and culture.” Theories connected to the activity of naming, particularly that of toponymy, or the naming and renaming of places in a given geographical space, and its relation to the idioms that may develop, which is the central focus of this piece of research, whether it be a country or a smaller civic entity, are thoroughly explored in relation to Barbados. Hence, there is full treatment of idioms with specific emphasis on toponymic idioms, stretches of language based on actual place names that reflect the linguistic and cultural specificity of Barbados because they are peculiar to the island and embody their own particular connotations.

The main part of the third chapter focuses on samples of the amateur glossaries and dictionaries compiled by both Barbadian and non-Barbadian lay lexicographers, as well as professional dictionaries, which also list Bajan toponyms. The connotations usually attached to the word amateur in this case in no way minimize the collections produced but illustrate the keen awareness on the part of their compilers that the linguistic heritage and identity of Barbados need to be recognized, showcased, and preserved for posterity.

Added to the demonstration of that awareness is also the fact that, with true contemporary sensitivity, the author has concentrated not only on the amateur Barbadian lexicographic works available in print but also on those online. His two-pronged qualitative/quantitative approach not only carefully analyzes the sources investigated and selects appropriate examples accompanied by detailed discussion, but also quantifies them by counting and meticulously comparing the numbers of toponymic entries in the amateur glossaries of Barbadian English and Bajan. He also takes this action, penetrating further into professional regional dictionaries, in discussing the Dictionary of Caribbean English Usage (DCEU), the New Register of Caribbean English Usage (NRCEU), and A Book of Afric Caribbean Proverbs (BACP), all compiled by Richard Allsopp and his team.

Such an approach is entirely appropriate for the following reason. Despite the time lag between the issuing of some of the amateur glossaries in print and the process of compilation which led to the publication of the professional dictionaries, the reciprocal contribution of the amateur works in existence, both before and after the appearance of the DCEU (1996), for example, as well as the BACP (2004) and the NRCEU (2010), can in no way be denied. In addition, the point is made that the three scholarly dictionaries cited above, by their very titles, suggest that although Bajanisms, including toponymic idioms, are obviously incorporated, their reach encompasses a much wider regional span. By quantifying the contribution of the lexicographic sources consulted to the toponymic stock of Barbadian English and Bajan, the author does a huge service to the later chroniclers of the linguistic and cultural heritage of Barbados.

The glossary of toponymic idioms that is the climax of this volume is indeed a superlative contribution to the study of Barbadian English and Bajan, but also to Caribbean English lexicography as a whole. The map displayed at the beginning of the fourth and last chapter provides both lexical and locational insights into the items treated, as well as geographical details of their distributional spread. That information is vital for any future lexicographical study of Barbadian English and Bajan. It is a gift to lexicographers of Barbadian language and culture, whether they are local, regional, or international.

The detailed background knowledge provided in each entry to the reader of this glossary reflects the ultimate objective of lexicographers who seek to educate their reading public without necessarily going into the more scientific aspects of dictionary entries, like pronunciation, pitch, and stress patterns, as found, for example, in the DCEU. This metalexicographic endeavor provides, through the items chosen, a significant amount of linguistic and historical information that would be extremely useful also in other subject fields, such as geography, arts, and social studies.

It is therefore fitting to state that this work is a significant contribution to the ongoing research into not only Barbadian but also Caribbean linguistic and cultural history and heritage. Each one of the toponymic idioms treated can be taken out and individually dissected for information spreading across a number of areas. For instance, the idioms to live at Easy Hall, to work at Idle Hall, and to work at Walker(’)s are all related, being based on the names of three Barbadian plantations, and share a similar meaning. These idioms refer to a person living a life of ease or idleness, often supported by someone else. The comparison that the DCEU makes with the colloquial American saying, also figurative, easy street, often written as Easy Street, reflecting the name of a real place, is that the idiom means that the person living at said location is financially well off or economically independent, in other words, rich. In addition, the idioms to work at Idle Hall and to work at Walker(’s) indicate that whoever “works” at those places is in fact unemployed. However, Idle Hall, Easy Hall, and Walkers (as it is sometimes written) are the names of actual plantations, even if the meanings of the toponymic idioms in which they are contained seem to indicate that they are more notional than real. The actual existence of the idioms provides the audience with the subject matter to both deal with the linguistic aspects of these expressions as well as with the social and geographical history within which they are contained.

Consequently, given all the highly valuable historical, linguistic, geographical and cultural information presented in this book, its appropriateness, timeliness, and relevance at this point in the development of Barbados are undeniable. The work is therefore strongly and unconditionally recommended to Barbadian secondary schools—and even primary school curricula can benefit, as the information can be simplified to cater to that level—and to tertiary institutions in Barbados and the entire Caribbean region, as well as to linguists, lexicographers, and historical and cultural researchers. It is certainly a precious gift to Barbadian and Caribbean heritage studies, as it celebrates both Barbadian and Caribbean identity.