The official language of Barbados is English, which is spoken by everyone. It is the language used on television and radio as well as in schools and it is also the primary language for business. All legal matters and matters of government are also carried out in English.

It is therefore no problem for people whose native language is English to adapt to life in Barbados. There is a local dialect that is also spoken that is a mixture of British English and a Barbadian dialect which is called Bajan. This patois is similar to that spoken on other Caribbean islands and is based on an Irish or Scottish pronunciation.

Bajan is a language similar to Creole that was originally created by West African slaves who were forced to speak English with a West African accent. They used it to avoid being understood by the slave owners. The word bajan is a contraction of the word Barbadian which with a Bajan accent sounded more like ‘Bar- bayd-ion’ and was a derogatory term for uneducated or illiterate slaves who had been brought to Barbados after the 1800’s. This is no longer the way that the word is used. Bajan is more widely used for music and social commentary than for formal situations and is used purely as a spoken dialect – writing it produces too many variations of spelling.

It is not impossible to learn Bajan but it cannot be done the same way you would learn any other foreign language as there is no written form. Spending time with Bajan speakers should make it easier to pick up a few phrases. Speakers also run letters together and pronounce them as one, for example with ‘th’ in ‘think’, which is pronounced ‘t’. This can be confusing as ‘th’ in ‘them’ is pronounced ‘d’. The Bajan patois includes some African words, although it is estimated that there are probably only about twenty.

For those who do not have English as a first language it is possible to learn in Barbados as there are several language schools based there now. Tuition ranges from individual private lessons to group classes and intensive courses. It is unlikely that somebody who does not speak at least some English will be able to get by and it will be even more unlikely that they would be able to find a job. Some of these language schools also offer courses in other languages which may be useful for those who wish to gain extra skills.