Falkland Islands English

Falkland Islands English is the dialect of the English language spoken in the Falkland Islands. Though it is mainly British in character, as a result of the remoteness of the islands, the small population has developed and retains its own accent and dialect, which persists despite many immigrants from the United Kingdom in recent years. In rural areas (i.e. anywhere outside Stanley), known as 'Camp' (from Spanish campo or 'countryside'),^[2] the Falkland accent tends to be stronger. The dialect has resemblances to Australian, New Zealand, West Country and Norfolk dialects of English, as well as Lowland Scots.

Two notable Falkland Island terms are 'kelper' meaning a Falkland Islander, from the kelp surrounding the islands (sometimes used pejoratively in Argentina),^[3] and 'smoko', for a smoking break (as in Australia and New Zealand).

The word 'yomp' was used by the British armed forces during the Falklands War but is passing out of usage.

In recent years, a substantial Saint Helenian population has arrived, mainly to do low-paid work, and they too have a distinct form of English.

The Falkland Islands, a cluster of 780 islands, that are 300 miles from the eastern coast of Argentina, had no indigenous population when the British arrived to explore the islands in 1690.^[4] Continuous settlement dates only to 1833, when British forces removed 26 Argentinian soldiers from the islands and claimed the islands for the British.^[4] In 1845, the capital town of Stanley, located on East Falkland, was established.^[5] Argentina also has a claim to the islands, and in 1982, Argentine forces invaded the Falkland Islands. The British moved to defend the British control of the islands, with Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher calling the islanders "of British tradition and stock".^[6] In under three months, nearly a thousand people were killed, and over 2,000 were injured.^[7] British-Argentinian tension regarding claim to the islands still exists, but the identity of the island overall is tremendously British, as shown when over 99.8% of islanders voted to remain under British sovereignty in a referendum.^[8] This history has implications for the linguistic features of Falkland Islands English, which is similar to British English but distinct in some vocabulary and phonology.

English in the Falklands is non-rhotic.^[9] This is consistent with other varieties of English in the southern hemisphere.^[9] One major difference between the English of the Falklands and other Englishes of the southern hemisphere is the onset centralisation of /aɪ/, in which nice is pronounced [nəɪs].^[9]

• Use of verb tenses: There may be a preference for using the simple past tense instead of the present perfect to express past actions. For example, "I already ate" instead of "I have already eaten." The past continuous tense may be used more frequently to describe ongoing past actions. For example, "I was studying at that time" instead of "I studied at that time."

• Use of prepositions: In some cases, there may be differences in the use of prepositions compared to Standard British English. For example, "She is in the store" instead of "She is at the store."

• Use of pronouns: There may be variations in the use of pronouns and forms of address, influenced by the social and cultural context of the Falkland Islands.

• Vocabulary: This may include region-specific words and idiomatic expressions, as well as terms influenced by the Spanish spoken in the Falkland Islands.

• Influence of Spanish: Given the proximity of the Falkland Islands to Spanish-speaking countries like Argentina and Chile, there may be subtle grammatical influences from Spanish in Falkland Islands English. This can include word order, gender and number agreement, or a preference for certain grammatical constructions.

The Falklands English vernacular has a fair number of borrowed Spanish words (often modified or corrupted). These include colloquialisms such as 'che', also encountered in Rioplatense Spanish from Argentina, and 'poocha', equivalent to 'wow'^[10] or 'damn',^[11] (from pucha, a euphemism for puta or 'whore').^[12]

Spanish borrowings are particularly numerous, indeed dominant in the local horse-related terminology. For instance, the Islanders use 'alizan', 'colorao', 'negro', 'blanco', 'gotiao', 'picasso', 'sarco', 'rabincana' etc. for certain horse colours and looks, or 'bosal', 'cabresta', 'bastos', 'cinch', 'conjinilla', 'meletas', 'tientas', 'manares' etc. for various items of horse gear.^[13]

Unlike the older English, French and Spanish place names given by mariners, which refer mainly to islands, rocks, bays, coves, and capes (points), the post-1833 Spanish names usually identify inland geographical locations and features, reflecting the new practical necessity for orientation, land delimitation and management in the cattle and sheep farming. Among the typical such names or descriptive and generic parts of names are 'Rincon Grande', 'Ceritos', 'Campito', 'Cantera', 'Terra Motas', 'Malo River', 'Brasse Mar', 'Dos Lomas', 'Torcida Point', 'Pioja Point', 'Estancia', 'Oroqueta', 'Piedra Sola', 'Laguna Seco', 'Manada', etc.^[13]

• South Atlantic Ocean: Falkland Island English