Bahamian English: phonology Conclusion

This description of Bahamian English illustrates the multi-faceted explanations necessary to understand the phonological structure of English in the Caribbean diaspora. Founder influences, language contact, ethnolinguistic accommodation, and independent innovation all seem to have played a role in the construction of Bahamian English. For example, we have seen that both British and American English varieties had some part in its formative development; furthermore, a consideration of both white and black founder effects must be considered in attributing sources of influence. In addition, we have seen that there is selective alignment with other varieties of English in the Caribbean diaspora. In understanding the development of Bahamian English, we need to consider both internal and external language contact situations, as we see manifestations of bilateral accommodation in the speech of Afro-Bahamians and Anglo-Bahamians along with influences from language varieties beyond The Bahamas. Some of this accommodation is salient but other types of accommodation can be quite subtle and must be ferreted out by examining quantitative details. The end product of differential influences and development in The Bahamas has resulted in the configuration of a unique constellation of structures that both unites and separates Bahamian English varieties from other varieties of English in the region and beyond.

Finally, we must recognize the significance of language variation under the rubric of “Bahamian English”. Expanding research in different regions of The Bahamas that extend from the urban area of Nassau (Shilling 1978, 1980; Holm 1983; Hackert 2004) to the out islands of Abaco (Holm 1980; Childs, Reaser and Wolfram 2003; Reaser 2002) suggests that there is a range of variation based on ethnicity, status, geography, and language contact. All of these parameters must be factored into an authentic description of Bahamian English that is consistent with the past and present sociohistorical development of this sprawling archipelago.