Vowels

Many of the distinctive characteristics of the Caribbean Islands relate to the vowel system. In this respect, The Bahamas are no different. The constellation of vowel features unifies The Bahamas with Caribbean varieties of English but it also sets these islands apart in some significant respects, particularly in their affinity with some traits of Southern US English. We will consider some of these vowel characteristics, including the primary vowel system and diphthongs.

In table 1 we provide a summary of the vowels of Bahamian English in terms of the key words set forth in Wells (1982). Separate profiles are provided for Afro-Bahamian and Anglo-Bahamian speakers given the ethnolinguistic distinctions described in the preceding description.