Bileez Kriol
Belize Kriol
English-based creole (Atlantic, Western Caribbean)
Belize Kriol is the English-based creole of Belize, the national lingua franca of a country whose population includes Mestizos, Creoles, Mayans, and Garifuna. Distinct from Jamaican Patois though sharing a common Atlantic English-based-creole ancestor, Belize Kriol developed during the British logwood/mahogany trade era through interaction of African enslaved populations (primarily Akan-speaking) with English logging crews. The 1995 establishment of the National Kriol Council and the 2002 phonemic orthography mark increasing institutional recognition; Belize Kriol now appears in churches, popular music (especially the punta and brukdown genres), and the Bible (full New Testament 2002, complete Bible 2012).
Where it is spoken
31 core words in Belize Kriol
Water
waata
/wɑːtɑ/
Fire
faiya
/fajə/
Sun
son
/sɔn/
Moon
moon
/muːn/
Star
staar
/staːr/
Mother
mada
/mɑdə/
Father
faada
/faːdə/
I
ai
/aɪ/
You
yu
/ju/
Name
naym
/neːm/
Eye
ai
/aj/
Hand
han
/an/
Heart
haat
/aːt/
Love
lov
/lɔv/
Tree
chree
/tʃɹiː/
House
hous
/aʊs/
Dog
daag
/daːɡ/
Cat
kyat
/kʲat/
Eat
nyam
/ɲam/
Drink
jrink
/dʒɾɪŋk/
One
wan
/wan/
Two
tu
/tu/
Hello
heloh
/hɛlo/
Thank you
tanks
/taŋks/
Good
gud
/ɡʊd/
Sources
Words compared
Compared with related English-based creole (Atlantic, Western Caribbean) languages
| Meaning | Belize Kriol | Jamaican Patois | English (Kenyan) | Bahamian Creole | English (Welsh) | English (Singapore) | English (Nigerian) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water | waata /wɑːtɑ/ | wata /waːta/ | water /ˈwɑːtə/ | watah /wɑːtə/ | water /ˈwɔːtə/ | water /ˈwɔːtə/ | water /ˈwɔːtə/ |
| Fire | faiya /fajə/ | faya /faja/ | fire /faɪə/ | fyah /fajə/ | fire /faɪə/ | fire /fajə/ | fire /ˈfaɪə/ |
| Sun | son /sɔn/ | son /sɔn/ | sun /sʌn/ | son /sɔn/ | sun /sʌn/ | sun /san/ | sun /sʌn/ |
| Moon | moon /muːn/ | muun /muːn/ | moon /muːn/ | moon /muːn/ | moon /muːn/ | moon /muːn/ | moon /muːn/ |
| Star | staar /staːr/ | staar /staː/ | star /staː/ | star /staː/ | star /staː/ | star /staː/ | star /sta/ |
| Mother | mada /mɑdə/ | mada /mɑdə/ | mother /ˈmɔðə/ | mama /mama/ | mother /ˈmʌðə/ | mother /ˈmadə/ | mother /ˈmɔðə/ |
| Father | faada /faːdə/ | fada /fɑdə/ | father /ˈfɑːðə/ | daddy /dadi/ | father /ˈfɑːðə/ | father /ˈfadə/ | father /ˈfɑːðə/ |
| I | ai /aɪ/ | mi /mi/ | I /aɪ/ | I /aɪ/ | I /aɪ/ | I /aɪ/ | I /aɪ/ |
| You | yu /ju/ | yu /ju/ | you /ju/ | you /juː/ | you /juː/ | you /ju/ | you /ju/ |
| Name | naym /neːm/ | niem /niem/ | name /neːm/ | name /neɪm/ | name /neːm/ | name /nem/ | name /nem/ |
| Eye | ai /aj/ | yai /jaɪ/ | eye /aɪ/ | eye /aɪ/ | eye /aɪ/ | eye /aɪ/ | eye /aɪ/ |
| Hand | han /an/ | han /han/ | hand /hænd/ | han /han/ | hand /hand/ | hand /hɛn/ | hand /hænd/ |
| Heart | haat /aːt/ | aat /aːt/ | heart /hɑːt/ | hart /hɑːt/ | heart /hɑːt/ | heart /hat/ | heart /hɑːt/ |
| Love | lov /lɔv/ | lov /lɔv/ | love /lʌv/ | love /lɔv/ | love /lʌv/ | love /laf/ | love /lɔv/ |
| Tree | chree /tʃɹiː/ | chrii /tʃɹiː/ | tree /tɹiː/ | tree /tɹiː/ | tree /tɹiː/ | tree /tɹiː/ | tree /tɹiː/ |
| House | hous /aʊs/ | ous /ɔus/ | house /haʊs/ | house /haus/ | house /haʊs/ | house /haʊs/ | house /haʊs/ |
| Dog | daag /daːɡ/ | daag /daːɡ/ | dog /dɔɡ/ | dawg /dɔɡ/ | dog /dɒɡ/ | dog /dɔk/ | dog /dɔɡ/ |
| Cat | kyat /kʲat/ | puss /pʊs/ | cat /kæt/ | cat /kat/ | cat /kʰat/ | cat /kɛt/ | cat /kæt/ |
| Eat | nyam /ɲam/ | nyam /ɲam/ | eat /iːt/ | eat /iːt/ | eat /iːt/ | eat /iːt/ | eat /iːt/ |
| Drink | jrink /dʒɾɪŋk/ | drink /dɹɪŋk/ | drink /dɹɪŋk/ | drink /dɹɪŋk/ | drink /dɹɪŋk/ | drink /dɹɪŋk/ | drink /dɹɪŋk/ |
| One | wan /wan/ | wan /wan/ | one /wʌn/ | one /wan/ | one /wʌn/ | one /wan/ | one /wʌn/ |
| Two | tu /tu/ | tuu /tuː/ | two /tu/ | two /tuː/ | two /tuː/ | two /tu/ | two /tu/ |
| Hello | heloh /hɛlo/ | wah gwaan /wɑ ɡwɑːn/ | hello /həˈlo/ | wuhz hapnin /wʊz hapnɪn/ | hello /həˈləʊ/ | hello lah /hɛlo lɑː/ | hello /həˈlɔ/ |
| Thank you | tanks /taŋks/ | tanks /taŋks/ | thank you /tæŋk juː/ | tank ya /taŋk jə/ | thanks /θaŋks/ | thanks /tɛŋks/ | thanks /θæŋks/ |
| Good | gud /ɡʊd/ | gud /ɡʊd/ | good /ɡʊd/ | good /ɡʊd/ | good /ɡʊd/ | good /ɡʊt/ | good /ɡʊd/ |
Part of LangMap — a linguistic visualization project. This is a static, crawlable summary; the interactive maps offer pronunciation audio, filters, and a globe view.