The ability to listen and speak so as to understand and be understood is vital to the work of preaching the gospel. In this video, I share a little bit about the Sierra Leonian language of Krio and how we are going about learning it.
Thanks Dan for posting this. As a native Krio myself, I would like to add to the origin of the Krio language. As you rightly stated, repatriated slaves influenced what eventually developed into krio. The slaves/freed slaves arrived in Freetown from different parts of the New world in 4 groups at different dates. The Black Poor in 1787 from England, the Nova Scotians in 1792 from Halifax Canada, the Maroons from Jamaica in 1800 and the liberated Africans or Re-captives from different parts of Africa from 1808 to 1865. All groups had their own distinct dialects. The Black Poor the smallest in number were proficient in standard English, the Nova Scotians and Maroons spoke English creole languages developed in the New world and the liberated Africans by far the largest group spoke African dialects. Krio then as we know it is an off shoot or an admixture of the dialects of these groups. According to Linguists the creole variety brought by the Jamaican maroons influenced krio the most followed by the Nova Scotians variety. It is the reason why krio sounds similar to both the Jamaican creole and Gullah spoken by slave descendants in South Carolina and Georgia because the Nova Scotians who came to SL were born in the southern plantations of the US..The liberated Africans, though they were the largest group to arrive influenced krio very little because they arrived very late. They and the other indigenous ethnic groups in Sierra Leone however succeeded in adding more African words into krio. Krio would have had a New world accent just like that of Jamaica creole or Gullah had it not been for the large number of liberated Africans, by far the largest who complicated the linguistic scene during its formative period.
😂😂 the recording though. Interesting video, thanks for sharing. I'm Sierra Leonean living in the U.S. Kushe ya! Lol. Do you intend to stay in Sierra Leone? Appreciate the effort to learn the language. All the best.
We do not have a definite timeline regarding our stay in SL. But our hope is to be useful enough to warrant staying here for at least 2-3 years. But only God knows.
If u want to learn Krio much better then I suggest you get in contact with the "Creole " ethnic group coz they are the original originators of the language and there way of talking krio is much different as compared to other tribes. This is due to the fact that tribes such as the Temne, Mende, Kono, Limba find its difficult to pronounce certain words out so they tend to blend it with their own language to say certain words out.
Hmmm, I’m intrigued. But my goal isn’t really to speak Krio in the way it was originally created to be but rather in the way it’s spoken by the common person since they’re the ones we’re trying to communicate with. Does that make sense? Thoughts?
Just returned from Sierra Leone and did a little bit of homework on Krio before leaving and the look on the locals faces when you speak their language was priceless. It speaks volumes to them. Pray God's blessings on your ministry there in Salone!!
Mhm, I couldn’t agree more. Learning the language not only helps you to communicate to the local people, but it also endears you to the people. Or at least that has been our experience. I hope you had a wonderful visit!
Yeah, a friend of mine from who was born Jamaica said it reminded him of speaking with his family. I’m not familiar with the language in Cameroon, though.
The pidgin in Cameroon is an offshoot of Krio taken there by Sierra Leonean Creole missionaries during the colonial era. They were prominent in a town called Victoria.
YES! I’ve learned that learning to talk in an African accent is a “cheat code” for speaking Krio. It’s not just about the words you speak or know but how you say them.
YES! I’ve learned that learning to talk in an African accent is a “cheat code” for speaking Krio. It’s not just about the words you speak or know but how you say them.
