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31
Unknown Author (1828)
Anecdotal; Biography; Courtship; Inheritance / Identity; Political; Jamaica;
Dialect Speakers
Dialect Features:Grammar, Metalanguage, Orthographical Contraction, Orthographical Respelling, Vocabulary
Extract #1 dialect features: Grammar, Metalanguage, Orthographical Contraction, Orthographical Respelling, Vocabulary
"The very negroes," continued he, "so well understand his predilection for the language of his clan, that when they see a walking buckra seeking employment on any of the estates under his charge, they accost him with the question, 'Can you talk Gaelic? for, if you can't , massa no employ you.'"
32
Unknown Author (1828)
Anecdotal; Biography; Courtship; Inheritance / Identity; Political; Jamaica;
Dialect Speakers
2.
narrator
Dialect Features:Grammar, Metalanguage, Orthographical Respelling, Vocabulary
This induced him to persevere in his attentions to his partner throughout the night; and he found her a lively good-tempered girl, though only half educated, and rather too much of the negro. Once, on his putting a question to her, when she was off guard, she returned for an answer, " Him no savey , massa ." She caught herself in a moment, and endeavoured to laugh it off, but it would not do. Her island education had shown itself too broadly in this, and a few previous slips, to be so easily effaced. When, however, on her guard, she avoided her apparently customary mode of speaking, tolerably well; far better than most of those so educated would have done. This lapsus linguae, however, caused no alteration in his attentions to his fair partner.
33
Unknown Author (1828)
Anecdotal; Biography; Courtship; Inheritance / Identity; Political; Jamaica;
Dialect Speakers
2.
interlocutor
Dialect Features:Grammar, Orthographical Respelling, Vocabulary
Trajan began: -- " Massa , Obeah bad for him poor neger , massa -- him kill poor neger , massa . -- All massa's negers , want massa , to hab him buckra priest, kirsten him negers, dat Obeah no more him kill , massa . Ebery one neger , massa want to be kirstened in de buckra fashion, massa ." Samuels hesitated a little, and then said, -- "If I should do, you will be great thieves afterwards." Trajan answered, "No massa , him neger , after him be buckra Christian, him no tief neber more, massa ;" and as an additional effort, to prove successful in his mission, he added: -- " Ebery one of him Babylon negers , massa ; him Lilliput negers , massa ; him Joppa negers , massa ; all, ebery one of him negers kirstened in de buckra fashion, massa ."
34
Unknown Author (1828)
Anecdotal; Biography; Courtship; Inheritance / Identity; Political; Jamaica;
Dialect Speakers
Dialect Features:Grammar, Orthographical Respelling, Vocabulary
Afterwards, on entering the hot-house, he found Cato had gotten a bilboe mate along with him in the stocks, of the name of Gulliver. On enquiring at Rambler what meritorious action had entitled him to this situation, the black Doctor said, " massa , him , Gulliver, kill and nyamn him buckra house big white cat." "What, eat a cat?" exclaimed Marly, "Yes, massa , him , Gulliver, kill and nyamn all hims buckra's cats, but him black Tommy."
35
Unknown Author (1828)
Anecdotal; Biography; Courtship; Inheritance / Identity; Political; Jamaica;
Dialect Speakers
3.
narrator
Dialect Features:Grammar, Metalanguage, Orthographical Respelling, Vocabulary
The negroes are so polite, not only towards white people, but among themselves, that no two of them can meet without the most ceremonious bows and curtsies, and shaking of hands, with "good morning Missa Dolly," and "good morning, Massa Quashie, and him hopes him hab good sleep." Quashie, not to be behind hand makes the same enquiry at Missa Dolly, and asks, "How do Massa Jupiter, and young Missa Venus, and young Missa Quasheba, and young Massa Captain, and de pickeniny?" Missa Dolly answers. " dat him all, ebery one well, him dank him ," and then " him hopes dat Missa Daphne is bery well, and dat young Massa Shakespeare, and young Missa Clementina, and de pickeniny are all, ebery one well." After these mutual salutations, a long thread of enquiries follow, which require time to be made and answered, and much news have they to tell, and to be told, that in the hearing and the telling, great part of the day would be lost to their own hurt.
36
Unknown Author (1828)
Anecdotal; Biography; Courtship; Inheritance / Identity; Political; Jamaica;
Dialect Speakers
3.
narrator
Dialect Features:Grammar, Metalanguage, Orthographical Respelling, Vocabulary
The negroes are so polite, not only towards white people, but among themselves, that no two of them can meet without the most ceremonious bows and curtsies, and shaking of hands, with "good morning Missa Dolly," and "good morning, Massa Quashie, and him hopes him hab good sleep." Quashie, not to be behind hand makes the same enquiry at Missa Dolly, and asks, "How do Massa Jupiter, and young Missa Venus, and young Missa Quasheba, and young Massa Captain, and de pickeniny?" Missa Dolly answers. " dat him all, ebery one well, him dank him ," and then " him hopes dat Missa Daphne is bery well, and dat young Massa Shakespeare, and young Missa Clementina, and de pickeniny are all, ebery one well." After these mutual salutations, a long thread of enquiries follow, which require time to be made and answered, and much news have they to tell, and to be told, that in the hearing and the telling, great part of the day would be lost to their own hurt.
37
Unknown Author (1828)
Anecdotal; Biography; Courtship; Inheritance / Identity; Political; Jamaica;
Dialect Speakers
2.
interlocutor
3.
narrator
Dialect Features:Grammar, Metalanguage, Orthographical Contraction, Orthographical Respelling, Vocabulary
Extract #1 dialect features: Grammar, Metalanguage, Orthographical Contraction, Orthographical Respelling, Vocabulary
Edward accordingly went to him, and in Marly's hearing, spoke to old Quaco thus, -- "Commence at the base of yonder elevation, ascend to the summit shortly after the luminary of day attains the meridian, and by the time Phoebus sinks in the western horizon, let an angle, parallel with the base of the morning commencement, be the conclusion of the day's manual labour." With the exception of the hand being pointed towards the elevation where the work was to be done, the whole lingo was downright Greek to Quaco ; but he answered with a bow, "Yes, busha ," and the Busha retired. Quaco knowing that the book-keeper was within ear-shot all the time, went and asked him, "What hab busha say ?" "I dinna weel ken ," was the reply of the book-keeper, "but I'll gang in and leuk at the dictionair ." If the first was Greek, this might be said to be real Gaelic to poor Quaco, who new as little of the Scotch dialect as he did of meridians, horizons, angles, and parallels; but remembering that the busha said something about Phoebus, he thought he might want him, and accordingly he posted to the negro huts in the search, and immediately finding Phoebus, Quaco hied him away to the busha.
38
Unknown Author (1828)
Anecdotal; Biography; Courtship; Inheritance / Identity; Political; Jamaica;
Dialect Speakers
2.
interlocutor
3.
narrator
Dialect Features:Grammar, Metalanguage, Orthographical Contraction, Orthographical Respelling, Vocabulary
Extract #1 dialect features: Grammar, Metalanguage, Orthographical Contraction, Orthographical Respelling, Vocabulary
Edward accordingly went to him, and in Marly's hearing, spoke to old Quaco thus, -- "Commence at the base of yonder elevation, ascend to the summit shortly after the luminary of day attains the meridian, and by the time Phoebus sinks in the western horizon, let an angle, parallel with the base of the morning commencement, be the conclusion of the day's manual labour." With the exception of the hand being pointed towards the elevation where the work was to be done, the whole lingo was downright Greek to Quaco ; but he answered with a bow, "Yes, busha ," and the Busha retired. Quaco knowing that the book-keeper was within ear-shot all the time, went and asked him, "What hab busha say ?" "I dinna weel ken ," was the reply of the book-keeper, "but I'll gang in and leuk at the dictionair ." If the first was Greek, this might be said to be real Gaelic to poor Quaco, who new as little of the Scotch dialect as he did of meridians, horizons, angles, and parallels; but remembering that the busha said something about Phoebus, he thought he might want him, and accordingly he posted to the negro huts in the search, and immediately finding Phoebus, Quaco hied him away to the busha.
39
Unknown Author (1828)
Anecdotal; Biography; Courtship; Inheritance / Identity; Political; Jamaica;
Dialect Speakers
2.
narrator
Dialect Features:Discourse Marker, Grammar, Metalanguage, Orthographical Respelling, Vocabulary
Extract #1 dialect features: Discourse Marker, Grammar, Metalanguage, Orthographical Respelling, Vocabulary
When they were passing several of the negroes in the yard at the back of the house, he observed a smile on their faces, which he took to himself; but, if he had not, it would soon have been confirmed to him beyond a doubt, that he was the subject; for when they thought he was beyond hearing, he heard one of them exclaim to the others, " Eh! mosquitoes, hab grandy nyamn on dat new buckra !"
Marly being ignorant of the negro corrupted dialect, or the talkee talkee language, did not understand the expression; but observing Graceson to smile, with combined smothered feelings of anger and shame, he asked an explanation of what the negro had said. Graceson laughing, answered, that "the negro only meant, that the mosquitoes had had an excellent feast on your rich blood."
Marly being ignorant of the negro corrupted dialect, or the talkee talkee language, did not understand the expression; but observing Graceson to smile, with combined smothered feelings of anger and shame, he asked an explanation of what the negro had said. Graceson laughing, answered, that "the negro only meant, that the mosquitoes had had an excellent feast on your rich blood."
40
Unknown Author (1828)
Anecdotal; Biography; Courtship; Inheritance / Identity; Political; Jamaica;
Dialect Speakers
1.
1828:08:narrator
2.
narrator
Dialect Features:Grammar, Metalanguage, Vocabulary
From what Marly could learn, the missionary had commented very severely on the sins which the negroes were in the daily practice of committing, especially whoredom and adultery; and announced the everlasting doom which would sooner or later be the fate of the wicked. Marly asked a smart-looking negro man his opinion of the discourse, he said he did not savey much of it, but the buckra mentioned one damnation strong fellow called Samson, (meaning, evidently, a strong Maroon negro) who killed five hundred militia men, but this was before he began running after the girls, for after that he lost his grandey strength. So much for his knowledge of preaching, and as must be expected, few of the negroes would be better informed than him.