Linguistics scholar welcomes addition of 'bulla', 'broughtupsy' and other Caribbean words to Oxford Dictionary

Anglican priest and linguistics scholar, the Reverend Bertram Gayle has welcomed the inclusion of Jamaican and other Caribbean words in the Oxford English Dictionary, describing it as a historic recognition that affirms the legitimacy of the region’s native languages.

“Our speech forms are bonafide, structured languages, not merely 'broken' dialects,” Gayle told The Gleaner.

Last Wednesday officials announced the addition of 12 new words commonly used in the region to the dictionary.

These included; bulla, broughtupsy, carry-go-bring-come, tantie, saltfish and the Trinidadian words, buss up shut, which is a fried unleavened bread with a flaky texture, similar to paratha or roti, and pholourie, an Indo-Caribbean dish made of fried flour balls, ground split peas and spices.

The Oxford Dictionary also added “bobolee,” “a stuffed and dressed up effigy … set up as a target for beating on Good Friday”; and “cry long water” which means either to cry a lot or insincerely.

“This continued recognition by a global authority elevates the status of our languages, fostering greater international and academic respect. Most importantly, it serves as a powerful catalyst to challenge the internal stigma and colonial-era prejudice long attached to these languages within the Caribbean space, hopefully encouraging educational reform and national pride, though the true, lasting acceptance must ultimately come from within the region itself,” he said.

Gayle, however, noted that this wasn’t new as words such as hammock, reggae, and riddim are already entered into the dictionary. While this is noteworthy, he said the way these words are spelt in the dictionary, underscores the need to address the issue of how it is represented in writing.

He highlighted the Cassidy-JLU system, a phonemic writing system for Jamaican Patois, developed by the Language Unit at the University of the West Indies to represent the sound of the language and to standardise written patois.

-Sashana Small

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