Santo Antão Creole

Santo Antão Creole, is the name given to the variant of Cape Verdean Creole spoken mainly in the Santo Antão Island of Cape Verde. It belongs to the Barlavento Creoles branch. It is ranked third of nine in the number of speakers and it is before Fogo and after the neighbouring São Vicente.

Characteristics

Besides the main characteristics of Barlavento Creoles the Santo Antão Creole has also the following ones:
* The progressive aspect of the present is formed by putting ''tí tâ'' before the verbs: ''tí'' + ''tâ'' + V.
* The adverb of negation used with verbs, adverbs and adjectives is ''n’''. Ex.: ''Mí n’ crê'' instead of ''M’ câ crê'' “I don’t want”.
* The sounds and are palatalized to and when they are at the end of syllables. Ex.: ''fésta'' “party” pronounced instead of , ''gósga'' “tickles” pronounced instead of , ''més'' “more” pronounced instead of .
* The stressed final sound is pronounced . Ex.: ''já'' instead of ''djâ'' “already”, ''lá'' instead of ''lâ'' “there”, and all the verbs that end by ''~â'', ''calcá'' instead of ''calcâ'' “to press”, ''pintchá'' instead of ''pintchâ'' “to push”, etc.
* Palatalization of the stressed sound (oral or nasal) to in words that use to end by the sound . Ex.: ''ént’s'' instead of ''ánt's'' “before”, ''grénd’'' instead of ''gránd'' “big”, ''verdéd’'' instead of ''verdád’'' “truth”. Also with pronouns: ''penhé-m’'' instead of ''panhá-m’'' “to catch me”.
* Palatalization of the pre-tonic sound (oral or nasal) to when the stressed syllable possesses a palatal vowel. Ex.: ''essím'' instead of ''assím'' “like so”, ''quebéça'' instead of ''cabéça'' “head”. Velarization of the pre-tonic sound (oral or nasal) to when the stressed syllable possesses a velar vowel. Ex.: ''cotchôrr’'' instead of ''catchôrr’'' “dog”, ''otúm'' instead of ''atúm'' “tuna”.
* The diphthong (oral or nasal) is pronounced . Ex.: ''pé'' instead of ''pái'' “father”, ''mém'' instead of ''mãi'' “mother”. The diphthong (oral or nasal) is pronounced . Ex.: ''pó'' instead of ''páu'' “stick”, ''nõ'' instead of ''nãu'' “no”.
* The sound (that originates from Portuguese , written “lh”) is represented by the sound : ''bói’'' instead of ''bódj’'' “dance (noun)”, ''ôi’'' instead of ''ôdj’'' “eye”, ''spêi’'' instead of ''spêdj’'' “mirror”. Between vowels that sound disappears: ''vé’a'' instead of ''bédja'' “old (feminine)”, ''o’á'' instead of ''odjâ'' “to see”, ''pá’a'' instead of ''pádja'' “straw”. When it is immediately after a consonant, it is represented by : ''m’liôr'' instead of ''m’djôr'' “better”, ''c’liêr'' instead of ''c’djêr'' “spoon”.
* The sound disappears when it is between vowels. Ex.: ''go’áva'' instead of ''goiába'' “guava fruit”, ''mê’a'' instead of ''mêia'' “sock”, ''papá’a'' instead of ''papáia'' “papaw”.
* The sound (that originates from old Portuguese, written “j” in the beginning of words) is totally represented by . Ex. ''já'' instead of ''djâ'' “already”, ''jantá'' instead of ''djantâ'' “to dine”, ''Jõ’'' instead of ''Djõ’'' “John”.
* Some speakers pronounce the phonemes and as labialized and .
* Existence of a certain kind of vocabulary (also existing in São Vicente) that does not exist in the other islands. Ex.: ''dançá'' instead of ''badjâ'' “to dance”, ''dzê'' instead of ''flâ'' “to say”, ''falá'' instead of ''papiâ'' “to speak”, ''guitá'' instead of ''djobê'' “to peek”, ''ruf’ná'' instead of ''fuliâ'' “to throw”, ''stód’'' instead of ''stâ'' “to be”, ''tchocá'' instead of ''furtâ'' “to steal”, ''tchúc’'' instead of ''pôrc’'' “pig”, etc.

Vocabulary

Grammar

Phonology

Alphabet

External links

a bilingual bar-pub site
in Santo Antão Crioulo and French.

''Os Lusíadas'' in Santo Antão Creole


(Tipedo e Tilobo) - traditional short story in Santo Antão Creol

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Santo Antao Creole
Creole