[LEMONS]
3.16.2006
De Gullah Nyews
Gullah culture has fascinated me for more than a decade, since I lived in South Carolina one summer and worked in a warehouse with a bunch of Gullah people. The Gullah language is a pidgin English, a mix of English and African languages. It's the language slaves spok--and that their descendants still speak--along the isolated barrier islands of the Carolinas and Georgia.It's not improper English. Gullah is a distinct dialect all its own, with its own words and rules. Television will stamp it out eventually, of course, and every year it dies a little bit as more and more of the land is developed.
When I lived there, I saw a book on a few occasions called De Good Nyews Bout Jedus Christ Wa Luke Write, it was the Gospel of Luke translated into Gullah. And today, NPR has a fascinating report on the first complete translation of the New Testament into Gullah.
I find these translations fascinating, in that the familiarity of the text (for most people in the US, at least) lends itself to understanding the language. It's easier to read than it is to understand when spoken (or it is for me at least) and knowing the context helps you pick up what otherwise might be unintelligible. To wit, here's a passage from De Good Nyews
Wen de sodjaman dem take Jedus an go fa kill um, dey take two oda man. Dey been real bad man, an de sodjaman take um wid Jedus fa kill um too. Wen dey git ta de place dey call "De place wa look like a man hed," de sodjaman dem nail Jedus ta e cross. An dey nail de two bad man too, each one ta e own cross. Dey pit one man on de right han side ob Jedus an de oda man on e lef han side. Jedus say, "Papa, paadon dem, cause dey ain't ondastan wa dey da do."
An de sodjaman dem tro dice fa wide op Jedus clothes mongst um. De people beena stan op dey da look. An de Jew leada dem been dey, da hole Jedus cheap. Dey say, "E done sabe oda people. So den, leh um sabe esef, ef e be de Christ, de Promise Chile, de poson wa God done pick fa true!"
De sidjaman dem take Jedus fa fun too. Dey come op ta um an try fa gem wine vinega fa drink. Dey tell um say, "Ef you de king ob de Jew people, sabe yousef!"
Dey write one notice fa de people ta read. Den dey nail um oba Jedus hed. De notice say, "DIS MAN IS DE KING OB DE JEW PEOPLE."
One dem two bad man wa beena hang dey on e cross, e tro slam at Jedus. E say, "You de Christ, de Promise Chile, ainty? Well den, sabe yousef an sabe we too!"
Bot de oda bad man wa beena hang dey, e buke dat man say, "You ain't scaid ob God? Dey done condemn you fa die jes like dis man yah. Dey done condemn me an you fa wa we done, an wa da git we pay fa all de bad ting we done. Bot dis man yah ain't done nottin bad." Den e beg Jedus say, "Jedus, please do, memba me wen you come wid powa fa rule as King!"
Jedus ansa um say, "A da tell you fa true, today you gwine be wid me een heaben."
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