More Words than Before in Kriol Dictionary  

This morning, the National Kriol Council proudly unveiled the second edition of the Creole English Dictionary. The original version came out in 2007, and this updated edition is packed with new words and revised spellings. It’s all part of the council’s mission to keep Belizeans connected to their rich culture and to promote Creole as a recognized language. News Five’s Britney Gordon was at the launch to find out how the council is working to keep the language vibrant and alive.

 

Britney Gordon, Reporting

Creole is one of the most spoken languages in Belize, and for many, it’s their mother tongue or even the only language they know. However, a lot of Belizeans find it challenging to read and write in Creole, which has created a gap in Creole education. To tackle this issue, the National Kriol Council has just launched the second edition of the Kriol-Inglish Dikshineri.

 

Silvaana Udz, Editor-in-Chief

“Well it got more than five hundred and sixty mew entries. And wa new entry might be a new sense ah dih word like the word taat/ T-a-a-t. You di think coconut tart right? But we gone da Flower’s Bank and di lady dih talk bout ‘no man. Tell ah ddown pan dih taat.inna dh dorey. Dih lee boad. Now, me neva know that but anybody weh know bout dorey and deh da riva bank know bout taat.So that get added in as a new sense ag di word taat.”

 

The new edition is a hefty volume, over six hundred pages long, and it’s available both online and in print. The council is doing its best to make the book as accessible as possible to everyone. Editor-in-Chief Silvaana Udz emphasized how vital language is in shaping and preserving a culture.

 

Silvaana Udz

“First of all, its free online. Access 501. You could get ot, download it free. And then we di try get wa app so you could quick search free. And soon you could get it, we gwain da Angelus and Brodies hopefully by the end pf the week. Today you could get it at the especial price of thirty-five dollars Belize. And the wole idea dah any lee money we mek wah be so small just fi mek more book. Cuz we want people get it.”

 

The council took feedback from the first edition of the dictionary, released back in 2007, to make these latest revisions. Silvaana Udz’s updated dictionary includes variations of words commonly used by Creole speakers. By standardizing the spelling, Udz explains, Creole is one step closer to being recognized as an official language.

 

Silvaana Udz

“If you use a standard orthography, then there is a right way fih spell it. You might have a variant way, an accepted variety because dah how people pronounce it. Like ‘fih’ lotta people say ‘fuh’. So fih, fah, fuh ,da one ah the words for ‘for’ weh got dih most variants. But when you standardize, you noh want too many variants cuz then you dih move wrh from the standard. So wah dictionary set put fih be desriptive. You di describe whe people done dih do. Bit the minute you get it codified, it become prescriptive. And it start prescribe down the road.Mek we check di dictionary. Mek we check the dictionary.”

 

The council calls this book a true labor of love for all Belizeans, urging everyone to help preserve and uplift the Creole language. They’re already looking ahead, with plans for a third edition expected to come out in the next five years. Britney Gordon for News Five.