A DICTIONARY OF BELIZE ENGLISH

[DRAFT CIRCULATED FOR COMMENT]

Roger Blench Kay Williamson Educational Foundation 8, Guest Road Cambridge CB1 2AL United Kingdom Voice/ Ans (00-44)-(0)1223-560687 Mobile worldwide (00-44)-(0)7847-495590 E-mail [email protected] http://www.rogerblench.info/RBOP.htm

Belmopan, Friday, 15 March 2013

TABLE OF CONTENTS Preface............................................................................................................................................................... i Introduction ..................................................................................................................................................... 2 Creole [Krio] and Belizean English as registers of the same language ...................................................... 2 Publications on Belizean Creole..................................................................................................................... 2 Sources ............................................................................................................................................................. 2 Idiosyncratic usages ........................................................................................................................................ 3 Ethnobiology.................................................................................................................................................... 3 Where do words come from? ......................................................................................................................... 3 Borrowings from indigenous regional languages ......................................................................................... 3 Borrowings from African languages ............................................................................................................. 3 Borrowings from regional Spanish................................................................................................................ 3 Is Belizean English a tone language?............................................................................................................. 3 Not confirmed .................................................................................................................................................. 4 Parts of Speech ................................................................................................................................................ 4 Abbreviations................................................................................................................................................... 5 References ...................................................................................................................................................... 34

Preface This dictionary of Belize English was stimulated by my work on variant English in Nigeria and Ghana. I am not a Belize old hand, but I was struck soon after arrival by the amount of undocumented forms in everyday speech. This dictionary is an attempt to capture these combined with checking previous claims for Belizean forms. In its present form, this dictionary is very much a first attempt, intended for circulation to interested parties, not for publication. Needless to say, the author would be grateful for all additions and corrections. Roger Blench Friday, 15 March 2013

Introduction Belize, former British Honduras, has a distinctive form of English, spoken and to a lesser extent written. This is related to, but different from Belizean Creole [Krio] spoken by the descendants of African populations brought here as part of the slave trade. This English has never been properly documented, although a number of websites list individual local words. Belize was a British colony until 1982, and official English is strongly related to British bureaucratese [alcohol is intoxicating liquors and so on]. Government offices continue to spell following British conventions [labour not labor]. Commercial English, on the other hand, is almost wholly American, and labels and notices in supermarkets follow American conventions. Newspapers are highly inconsistent, following the conventions of the writer. Spoken English, on the other hand, has its roots in creole, and both the lexicon and syntactic constructions often follow creole. Indeed it could be argued that spoken English is simply a register of creole, relexified and restructured through contact with mainstream English. An interesting question is whether Belizean English constitutes a unity. The Garifuna people, who live in a series of villages along the coast in the southeast are of African origin, but speak an Arawakan language, due to their complex history. Their home area is in Honduras/Nicaragua, although they have long been settled in other countries along the coast. Despite their Amerindian language, their culture is reminiscent of their African origins, especially their music, which has recently won international acclaim. Their English includes distinctive borrowings which are not found elsewhere in the country, for example ruguma for cassava strainer, instead of wowla. Even less well-known is the English of Gales point, a community of Maroons, apparently of direct African descent, rather than indirect as in the case of the Krio. Some distinctive words, such as gombe for drum point to a Bantu source area, but no other evidence is available. As a consequence, it is better to treat Belizean English as having regional dialects, according to the first language of the speakers. It is somewhat surprising that no attempt has been made to document Belizean English as a whole. Individual words have been discussed, particularly on websites. Belizean creole has been the subject of limited academic research. Nonetheless, I believe this is the first attempt to construct a lexical list for Belizean English. These notes are intended to raise some issues on sources, interpretation and the definition of Belize English. Creole [Krio] and Belizean English as registers of the same language It is not uncommon to hear it argued, as elsewhere in the world that Creole is a different language. There have been some attempts to formalise the spelling, mostly among Belize City elites, who largely speak English. Regarded purely in dialectal terms this is simply not true, as the Creole and Belizean English share almost all their lexicon and grammar. A much better way to understand the relationship is to treat them as registers of one another. It is not uncommon to hear speakers, uncertain of the language preferences of someone they do not know, to repeat a sentence twice, in Creole and Belizean English. Publications on Belizean Creole Visitors to Belize can purchase small books purportedly providing a guide to Belizean Creole. Notices in visitor centres also often have posters giving sample sentences in Creole. However, for the most part these are highly unreliable, as they are usually respelt English and do not use actual Creole syntax. Similarly the website of the Krio Association engages in this type of unconscious upgrading. The sociolinguistics of this are complex, but it suggests that high-register speakers, who almost certainly speak Belizean English on a daily basis, want to manufacture a Creole which is both different visually, but virtually the same syntactically. Sources One of the most difficult issues in lexicography is documenting usages in a semi-written language. If dictionaries of indigenous languages are prepared they usually depend entirely on oral sources and thus no specific justification is given for entries. However, Belize English is sometimes written, especially in newspapers and magazines, and thus has some sort of orthographic tradition. Nonetheless, many of the most picturesque expressions are strictly oral and must still be captured in the present document. I have therefore

used newspaper, notices and overheard speech as sources. Example sentences not specifically sourced should be treated as based on the authors or his correspondents experiences. Idiosyncratic usages Apart from standard expressions, some English usages have been appropriated for idiosyncratic use. For example, the Vital Statistics Unit in Belize City is not concerned with the chest measurements of women, but rather with the details of births and deaths. Ethnobiology By far the largest proportion of the vocabulary which is distinctive comes from the fields of biology and food. Belize would have presented the earliest settlers with a profusion of unknown plant species, as well as newly introduced plants which were spread around the world in the 18th and 19th centuries. Names for these were borrowed from indigenous languages, adapted from English or had African names re-applied to them. Some names are whimsical inventions, such as night and day or give and take. Many of these appear to be widespread in the Caribbean, but the fauna and flora or the islands is very depauperate compared with the mainland, so new names had to be invented or adopted. The references provide a list of guides used to identify local names. I have tried to provide useful information about the plants as well as the main uses, medical or otherwise. Images are either photographs taken by the author or from Creative Commons sources on the web. Where do words come from? One of the most challenging aspects of developing a dictionary of this type is to identify the sources of words. There are many possible donor languages and searching through a large number of dictionaries in the hope of identifying resemblances is time-consuming. Fortunately, some of this work has already been undertaken, indirectly in the case of the DJE, or in the case of Miskito by Holm (1977). There are, however, a number of spurious etymologies, based on rather tenuous similarities identified in earlier sources, and these are questioned here. Borrowings from indigenous regional languages The most important source of borrowings from regional languages is not from Mayan, as might be expected, but from the Misumalpan languages, notably Miskito. Holm (1977) is the main study of this topic and almost all the Miskito etymologies in this document are a consequence of his study. Borrowings from African languages Apart from the Maroons, borrowings from African languages are mainly via Jamaican English and almost all terms here seem to occur elsewhere in the Caribbean. The Dictionary of Jamaican English (DJE) by Cassidy & Le Page (1967) is an excellent and comprehensive source on these words, although some of the etymologies in African languages could do with updating. Some suggestions are made here. The main sources for Yoruba are Abraham (1958), for Ewe, Rongier (1995), for Ga, Kropp-Dakubu (1999), for Hausa (Abraham 1962) and for Twi, Christaller (1933). Borrowings from regional Spanish Spanish has evolved in Central America, both by adapting mainstream Spanish terms and by borrowing from indigenous languages. Words from local Spanish have then diffused into Belizean English. This is particularly true in the area of snack foods, where Hispanic speakers dominate the trade and kiosks selling panades, tamales, salbutes and so on are common. Is Belizean English a tone language? African languages are all tonal, and it has often been claimed that at least some features of tone languages have carried over into Caribbean English. Tone-languages require systematic minimal pairs and neither Belizean Creole nor Belizean English pass this test. Nonetheless, there are some words which are not correctly pronounced unless the relative pitch heights are accurate. This suggests that the original in the source language had contrastive tone. I have marked the pronunciation in an IPA-like transcription in square brackets in the definition column with appropriate tone-marks. However, the following example is apparently borrowed from English; 3

sote conj. [st] until, up to This requires further research. Not confirmed Some of the sources I have consulted, especially online, claim words and meanings I have not been able to confirm, and these are marked in the text. Parts of Speech The following table shows the abbreviations used in Column 2 of the dictionary. Some of these assignations should be regarded as highly provisional. Abbreviation a. a.p. adv. adv.p. cond. conj. dem. excl. excl.p. int. n. n.p. num. part. p.n. p.u.t. prep. pron. sal. s.t. v. v.a. v.c. v.i. v.n. v.p. v.t. Full form Adjective Adjectival phrase Adverb Adverbial phrase Conditional Conjunction Demonstrative Exclamation Exclamatory phrase Interrogative Noun Noun phrase Numeral Particle Proper Name Pre-utterance tag Preposition Pronoun Salutation Sentence tag Verb Verbal auxiliary Verbal complement Intransitive Verb Verbal Noun Verb phrase Transitive verb Describes a noun Describes a noun Qualifies a verb Qualifies a verb Expresses the relation between two events A word used to join two or more nouns, verbs or clauses Words used to point out something. 'this', 'that' etc. Greetings or expressions that do not form part of an ordinary sentence Fixed phrases that form sentences indicating a single idea Question words Refers to things, objects etc. Phrase where a head-noun is joined to other words to form an expression Number Short words added to complete the sentence A name of a person or object; always capitalised A tag or exclamation used prior to an utterance to indicate the underlying sense of the utterance A word positioning nouns or verbs in time or space A word that stands for a noun A word or phrase that stands alone as a greeting or introduces a dialogue A word or clause standing at the end of a sentence, that intensifies the meaning in some way but is unnecessary to the syntax. Expresses action An inflected verb that co-occurs with an uninflected main verb Additional word or words found in phrasal verbs [???] A verb with no object A noun formed directly from a verb to express a state of being [only one type; what of agentives?] A phrase where a head-noun is joined to other words to form an expression [head-noun or verb?] A verb with an object 4 Explanation

Abbreviations arch. AE BE der. dial. e.g. euph. fem. hum. id. ins. joc. lit. archaic American English British English derogatory dialect for example euphemism feminine humorous ideophone insulting jocular literally masc. n. neg. over. pl. prov. refl. s. sc. sl. Sp. SE t. TE v. WAE masculine noun negative overused plural proverb reflexive singular schoolboy slang Spanish Standard English transitive Tropical English verb West African English

Belize English Dictionary

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Belize A. a Agayuma alana alcalde alligator fish

PoS

Gloss

Etymology

conj. of p.n. water-spirit like a will o the wisp or jack o lantern. A flame that appears in marshes and leads people astray. n. drink of grated cassava n. leader of Mayan community n. fish sp., top minnow, Belonesox belizanus

common Caribbean usage Ministry a Works < Garifuna < Garifuna < Spanish

altamesa amapola, amopolla

n. n.

medicinal plant sp. silk cotton tree, shaving brush tree < Central American Spanish Pseudobombax ellipticum, used for firewood and carving

anansi

n.

antelope apasote

n. n.

spider, but also a lead character in folk- < Akan. cf. hanansi tales. Characterised as a trickster, and also a way to refer to someone who is sly or tricky. red brocket deer herb sp. wormseed, Jesuit's tea, also epazote. < Nahuatl epaztl. Mexican tea, paico, Herba Sancti Mari, Dysphania ambrosioides, used to flavour food.

apple banana areba, ereba

n. n.

small, finger-sized banana. Not eaten by everyone. Round flat bread made from grated < Central American Spanish aripa. cf. bami cassava which has been repeatedly pressed to remove the juice. For meal preparation, slices are typically soaked in coconut milk and then fried. Served with fried fish. 6

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Belize axe-master

PoS n.

Gloss tree sp. Caesalpinia gaumeri

Etymology

B. baaka baboon baboon cap backabush backabush people Backside! badword! bagga head bagjuice balls chokers bali balsam wood bambam bamboo chicken n. n.p. n. n. n. excl. excl. n.p. n. n.p. p.n. n. n. n.p. catfish sp. howler monkey, Alouatta pigra cf. black monkey herb sp. Couepia dodecandra rural area < English back of the bush people who think or act as if they were in a rural area Exclamation of surprise used euphemistically in place of stronger swearwords. swearword substitute Person addicted to cocaine or crack. Not confirmed Commercially produced drinks or juice packaged in plastic bags. tight trousers Informal title used for greeting among Also used for bell-boy who carries bags in male friends. a hotel, so perhaps < English valet tree sp. Myroxylon spp. The bark has medical uses food made with cassava reduplicated form of bami (q.v.) iguana. Probably humorous and not much used.

bami, bammy bandoo

n. n.

cassava bread plastic or metal band to keep the hair in place

< Ga bmi cassava variety. cf. areba

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Belize bank

PoS n.p.

Gloss area where loggers first landed and cleared for settlement. Now incorporated in the names of several old settlements on the Belize River. Also a type of seamount where fish aggregate to breed.

Etymology

baracuta wisp barba jolote

n. n.

medicinal plant large tree sp. Cojoba arborea or Pitecolobium arboretum. The wood of this tree resembles that of the mahogany, however, it is heavier and probably superior in strength. For this reason, as well as its high resistance to fungal and insect attack, it is suitable for cabinets, interior trim, dugout canoes, and posts. Locally, it has been used for tanning. The red pods it bears resemble a turkey's wattle. medicinal plant party, celebration party, celebration vinaceous palm, Desmoncus schippii, used to make baskets < Spanish

barsley bash bashment basket tie-tie

n. n. n. n.

? < English parsley < English Also tie-tie, basket whist.

bat batalas batton breed batty batty boy batty man bay snook beans and rice bederug

n. n. n. n. n.p. n.p. n. n.p. excl.

moth [in contrast to rat-bat] Also in Jamaica [DJE] small, black biting fly Someone with nappy hair that does not grow. buttocks < English buttocks, bottom Also in Jamaica [DJE] male homosexual, gay person cf. batty man male homosexual, gay person cf. batty boy. Also in Jamaica [DJE] fish sp. Petenia splendida beans and rice cooked separately but served together. rice and beans (q.v.) Garifuna expletive meaning, your < Garifuna 8

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Belize

PoS

Belize bembey bilam, billum

p.n. n. n.

Gloss Etymology arse. Used at the end of sentences to discredit someone. name of the country, or may refer to < name Wallace or Mayan baliz muddy Belize City water or French balise person who is a boss, very selfconfident, arrogant small river fish, Astyana fasciatus, used < Miskito bilam. sardine in local English to bait hooks

billbird

n.

toucan. There are two species in Belize

billy webb bime blackface blackberry

n. n. n. n.

medicinal herb, Acosmium panamensis Garifuna sweet sticky rice < Garifuna dark-skinned person shrub sp. Eugenia sp. The fruits are eaten raw or made into a popular wine. Sometimes mistakenly called black cherry.

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Belize blackbird

PoS n.

Gloss great-tailed grackle, Quiscalus mexicanus

Etymology

black monkey

n.p.

howler monkey, Alouatta pigra

cf. baboon

blogo blue bluing boga boil boil-up

n. v. n. excl. n. n.p.

bokatora bolo bonefish bonghead booby bird bookut botase box

n. n. n. n. n. n. n. v.

braalee bram

n. n., v. adv. n. v.

braps bread breeze

plantain type. Many people dont eat them except when ripe. to wash clothes using old-fashioned starch cubes old-fashioned starch [bga] affectionate but negative way of referring to s.o. boiling-point dish of boiled ground foods, such as cassava, cocoa, sweet potatoes, ripe plantains, boil cake, and boiled fish or pigtail slider turtle, Trachemys scripta penis fish sp., Albula vulpes s.o. who is addicted to marijuana. bird sp. tree sp. see bukut small catfish To strike the face with the open palm. The strike is made with a slapping motion as opposed to a jabbing motion. brother-in-law dance party or festival, traditionally held at Christmas; dance done at parties; song sung at parties; to engage in dance party activities immediately, straight away vagina to allow to blow away in the breeze 10

< English bugger. The old boga! The issue had nearly reached boil

also tilly, toto. ? cf. Hausa buru

Survives in English expression to box the ears

? < American English prom

Not confirmed cf. cocoa, hotbox, poke Continue breezing the rice

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Belize bribri broomweed brukdon bukut bullbat bullhoof bundiga bur-vine Buru bush dog bush rabbit buttersea fish

PoS n. n. n. n. n. n. n. n. p.n. n. n.p. n.

Gloss when winnowing ice-cream bean, pacay, guama, Inga feuilleei. Tree with large edible pods. medicinal plant sp. Sida acuta [brukdn] folk music played for amusement, esp. by Mr Peters tree sp. Cassia grandis nightjar, Caprimulgidae spp. large tree sp. Drypetes brownil. dish made from plantains and fish vine sp., Tribulus terrestris [?] costumed dance tayra, Eira barbara or grison, Galictis vittata agouti, Dasyprocta punctata fish sp.

Etymology < Miskito bribri. Also tamatama < breakdown an English folk dance

< Garifuna cf. Jankunu

C. cabbage bark cobia, cabio calabash calalloo, kalalu n. n. n. tree sp. Andira inermis. It has bright purple flowers which only bloom once every two years. The wood is used for skids, bridges, and house frames. marine fish sp. Rachycentron canadum tree sp. Crescentia cujete. Not the same as the gourd, Lagenaria siceraria chaya, Cnidoscolus aconitifolius, a < Jamaican English green leafy vegetable used to make a thick spicy soup-like dish. Elsewhere in the Caribbean, the vegetable is usually amaranth or dasheen leaves. fish sp. medicinal plant sp. implies that a girl has had sex the girl had been carnally known. Amandala 20.1.13 vine sp. Macfadyena unguis-cati. Name also used in Barbados. [kii] island off the coast < Spanish medicinal plant balsam apple, Momordica charantia or = sorosi, surasee. Corresponds to M. balsamina. A vine bearing a small Trinidadian cerasse. lumpy skinned yellow or orange fruit. The fruit has red, sticky, sweet seeds inside. The leaves are used as a laxative.

callipever capnet carnally known cats claw caye cedar cerasee

n. n. a.p. n. n. n. n.

11

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Belize chachalaca Charley Price

PoS n. n.

Gloss bird sp. very large rat, thought to have been brought to Jamaica by Sir Charles Price, an 18th century planter and Speaker of the House of Assembly in Jamaica. Not the house rat, probably the Norwegian rat. medicinal plant sp., Smilax china jewfish, giant grouper, Epinephelus itajara food person who is always weeping male homosexual medicinal plant sp. Portulaca quadrifida sap from the sapodilla tree, Manilkara chicle, which was originally the basis of chewing gum, and was a major industry in Belize until the 1940s. Individuals who collected the sap were chicleros. blackened chicken soup served over rice tiny, a small amount Generic term for East Asian person medicinal plant medicinal plant exclamation of disgust, annoyance driving to prick, inject medicinal plant tree sp. Acacia cornigera. It has a symbiotic relationship with a species of ant (genus Pseudomyrmex) that lives in its thorns. The ants protect the tree from plants, which may grow near its trunk or leaves high in the canopy, and they emerge from the thorns to attack other insects, humans and animals that come in contact with the tree. It has been used as traditional medicine for relief of mucous congestion for infants. Babies are given water containing the ants (once they've been squeezed and strained). Snake doctors use the bark and root to slow down snake venom from entering the bloodstream; acne and other skin conditions can be bathed with water in which the thorns have been boiled. cocoyam, taro. Colocasia esculenta Fruit of Chrysobalanus icaco, a shrub or bushy tree, rarely 10 metres tall. In 12

Etymology

china root cherna chicharon chichi chichi man chickenweed chicle

n. n. n. n. n. n. n.

< Jamaican English. cf. sisi

chimole chinchi chiny cinnamon cissim Cho! chocking chook cochineal cockspur

n. a. n. n. n. excl. v.n. v. n. n.

< Mexican Spanish < Old English chinch a stingy person < China < Ewe ts exclamation of surprise East Indians like chocking also African English = bullhorn acacia

coco coco plum

n. n.

< West African This name also used in Jamaica

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Belize cocoa cohune

PoS n. n.

comadre compadre contrayerba coolie copache copna

n. n. n. n. n.

corn cotton tree cow foot cow foot leaf coxspur craboo, kraabu cramati creole bread cribo crocodile cry culantro

v. n. n. n. n. n.

Gloss late summer it bears fruit in clusters. vagina cohune palm and fruit, Attalea cohune. An oil is made from the nut. The corozol palm is the oldest known domesticate in the New World. godmother of a child, but also a sort of guardian who takes the young person to confirmation and marriage godfather of a child medicinal plant, Dorstenia contrayerva A person of East Indian ancestry. Most Caribbeans East Indian descent trace their roots back to indentured workers. medicinal plant sp., Hintonia latiflora tree sp., Erythrina fusca. Found throughout the Community Baboon Sanctuary and the lower Belize valley. It flowers in the dry season, with large orange and pink flowers. Despite the spines on the trunk and branches, the flowers are sought after by the howler monkeys. The orchard oriole is a chief pollinator of the Copna. to ? ? = silk cotton tree cow leg used in making soup medicinal plant sp., Bauhinia forficata

Etymology cf. bread, hotbox, poke < Miskito ohom, uhum, ohung. rain tree, American oil palm, corozo palm or manaca palm

corned fish only survives in BE as corned beef cf. West African cow leg soup

n. n. n. n. v. n.

cuss up cut eye

v.p. v.p.

= cockspur tree sp., Byrsonima crassifolia, and its cf. muri, nance. < Miskito krabo fruit. The yellow berries are collected, sold fresh or made into a sticky version with sugar and ginger. [kramati] medicinal plant bread with coconut in it snake sp. Applied to: Spilotes pullatus mexianus, Stenorrhina degenhardtii, S. f. freminvillei alligator, crocodile. to complain See that man, crying again on television last night! herb sp. Eryngium foetidum. There are two varieties of this herb, one is commonly found in waste land, the other is cultivated. to insult, abuse, give a dressing down < English curse. The Minister cussed me up gesture of contempt, deliberately < English cut + eye. Putting the meaning of closing the eyes while turning the head those two words together for the same away from somebody gesture is common through West and Central Africa 13

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Belize D damsel

PoS

Gloss

Etymology

n.

caimito, Chrysophyllum caimito. prob. error for English damson Round fruit about the size of a tennis ball with a glossy leathery green or purple skin. The purple and white milky flesh forms a star pattern. The fruit is sweet and eaten raw.

dancehall

n.

danto deer

n. n.

Fast paced style of reggae music where DJs sing or rap over danceable music and rhythms. The lyrics tend to be more sexual and violent than other forms of reggae music. Baird's tapir, Tapirus bairdii. See under also mountain cow, tzimin mountain cow white-tailed deer, Odocoileus virginianus

deer eyes

n.

di dilly doctor fly dory

def. a. n. n. n.

small sea bean, Mucuna spp. When rubbed vigorously against a hard surface it becomes warm. Children often harass one another by touching them with the heated beans. the armadillo. There are two species in also hamadilly Belize, Cabassosus centralis and Dasypus novemcinctus biting fly sp., Diachlorus ferrugatus cf. also pin wing. Common US name yellow fly canoe made from a single tree-trunk < English though perhaps via Miskito dori. and formerly used for transport between logging camps on the Belize river. The dory is a small, shallow-draft boat. It is usually lightweight with high sides, a flat bottom and sharp bows. Also the name of small canoes carried out on long fishing expeditions at sea. shovel-toothed snake, Scaphiodontophis annulatus 14

double snake

n.

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Belize drunk dryback ducunu, dukunu duki dumbcane dungdung dutty dutty wine

PoS v. n. n. n. n. n. a. n.p.

Gloss to make s.o. drunk person deprived of sex food made from steamed maize mash wrapped in a leaf chart with a picture of a skeleton which is numbered used for interpreting dreams by lottery ticket buyers herb sp. Dieffenbachia seguina, [dudu] double-headed drum played in Gales Point [dti] applied to anything suggestive or sexual [dti wayn] A wine or dance involving simultaneous and coordinated movements of the hips, knees and head.

Etymology He drunks them and then they vote for him < Twi -dkno boiled maize bread ?< Spanish duque duke or Miskito duki, dukia property, affair < Yoruba dundun <English dirty

E. ebolite egg fruit n. n. tree sp., Ethroxylon areolatum. Recorded as eboe light in Jamaican English [DJE]. Formerly used to make torches

elemuy escabeche, escovitch eye water

n. n.

n.p.

canistel tree, Pouteria campechiana. Bright yellow ovoid fruit with a pointed tip. It is related to the sapodilla and is edible. medicinal bark, Malmea depressa = stone bark Cooking technique where meat or fish < Spanish pickled is fried, then soaked in a pickling sauce made from vinegar, pimento, onions, pepper. tears English eye + water. The collocation may be African in origin.

F. FBI fezi, faysi firehearth acr. a. n. Flat Batty Indian i.e. Mayan Indian impudent, brazen cooking on an open fire 17-18th century English. He is fezi

fish serreh foolish

n.p. n.

dish foolish thing or person 15

Look at those foolishes in Belize City!

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Belize fry fry beans fry jack fuckery fuddlefish

PoS a. n.p. n.p. n. n.

Gloss placed before any fried food cooked beans pounded into a mush triangular, deep-fried crispy pastry nonsense, foolishness. herb sp. used to poison fish

Etymology fry fish

G. gangbanger ganja garnaches garlin georgie bull gibnut, gibnat n. n. n. n. n. n. collective rape < Hindi originally, but probably via Jamaica crispy tortillas served with beans and < Mexican Spanish rice on top cattle egret, Bubulcus. This species was brought over from West Africa. northern jacana, Jacana spinosa paca, small rodent, Cuniculus paca, cf. royal rat. < Miskito ibina much favoured for food gangster marijuana

give and n.p. take golden plum n.

palm sp. Chrysophila argentea ambarella, Spondia dulcis. An edible fruit growing on large trees up to 30m. The fruits have thick, sometimes leathery skin and fibrous or hairy seeds. While unripe, the flesh is crisp and firm with an acid taste. As it ripens, it turns yellow, becomes soft and develops a sweet taste and fragrant smell. Both ripe and unripe fruits can be eaten raw. It is also often prepared by juicing, stewing with ginger and sugar, pickling with peppers and spices, or made into chow. Introduced into the Caribbean from Polynesia in 1782. hangover chewing-gum goat-skin drum played with the hands typical of the Maroons of Gales Point Sexually suggestive dance or wine where the participants make significant physical contact generic for domestic tubes, such as 16

goma 1. goma 2. gombe grine ground

n. n. n. n. n.p.

< English < Bantu language < English grind, also in Black American English

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Belize foods ground itch ground mole guacho guanacaste

PoS n. n. n. n.

guinea hen guinep

n. n.

gumbolimbo

n.

Gloss Etymology yams, sweet potatoes fungal infection on feet hispid gopher, Orthogeomys hispidus medicinal plant large tree sp. Enterolobium Also tubroos, monkey's ear tree cyclocarpum. The Guanacaste is a fastgrowing species and one of the largest trees found in Central America. It can reach a total height of over 130 feet, 30 to 40 feet of which is straight trunk that may have a diameter in excess of six feet. The tree has a large, flat, wide spreading crown, pale green leaves and small white flowers. The seed pods are broad, flat, shiny dark brown, three to four inches across, and coiled into almost a complete circle, somewhat resembling a human ear. This may account for one of the names given to the tree - "monkey's ear tree". Cattle feed on the leaves, flowers and pods. Tubroos is a favourite timber for the dugout canoes that Belizeans call doreys. The wood is not readily attacked by pinworms. Feeding troughs and mortars for hulling rice are also made from the tubroos tree. medicinal plant sp., Petiveria alliacea This name also used in Jamaica Ovoid green fruit that grows in = kenep bunches on trees up to 30m high. The fruit typically ripens during the summer. The fruit has a tight, thin but rigid skin. The tart or sweet pulp of the fruit covers a large seed. The pulp is usually a cream or orange colour. tree sp. Bursera simaruba. Gumbolimbo is often found growing near the poisonwood tree, and its bark is a cure for the effects of poisonwood sap.

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Belize H. haka halari

PoS

Gloss

Etymology

n. n.

tayra, Eira Barbara, a member of the swamp, bush dog weasel family (Mustelidae) jaguarundi, Herpailurus yagouaroundi

hamadilly Hanansi

n. p.n.

hard-time biscuit hikite, hicatee hooyu

n. n. n.

armadillo. see under dilly. A lead character in folk tales, depicted as a trickster and cultural hero and based largely on the spider gods of African lore, particularly the Akan. hard ships biscuit, now made commercially soft-shell turtle, Dermatemys mawei night bird, variously identified as Pauraque, spot-tailed nightjar, goatsucker, night hawk, Santa Maria bird, whippoorwill, or dwarf owl medium-sized tree sp. Stemmadenia donnell-smithii large sea bean, Ormosia spp. vagina herb with bright re flowers, Cephalis sp. dish made from fish and plantain and coconut milk In the period of slave-based logging, the man who went into the forest to identify mahogany and logwood for felling.

= dilly A variant pronunciation of anansi (q.v.)

NB also cookie in recent formulations < Mayan language < Miskito kuyo, kuyu, kyuyu

horseballs horse eyes hotbox hotlips hudut huntsman

n. n. n. n. n. n.

cf. bread, cocoa, poke < Garifuna also hunter

I. Ish Ktabai p.n. spirit who is a weeping lady. Appears < Maya. cf. Llorona, La Sucia to men out walking late at night and leads them astray in the forest. She weeps because she drowned her children because her lover did not accept them.

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Belize J. jack-in-thebush jackass bitters

PoS

Gloss

Etymology

n. n.

medicinal plant sp., Eupatorium also xtokoban odoratum herb sp. Neurolaena lobata. Medicinal herb used to cure fever. The tea can help get rid of intestinal parasites; or be used to bathe wounds or infections. Some people use it as a hair wash to get rid of lice. Boiled and strained leaves can be used as an insecticide for house and garden plants.

jankro

n.

Jankunu

p.n.

vulture spp. (Cathartidae), King Jan Kro or Red Nek Jan Kro is the King Vulture, Dakta Jan Kro is the Turkey Vulture costume dance, in Belize the costume and dance originate from a comical ridicule of slave masters

? < English carrion crow

cf. buru. ? Said to go back to John Koni, an eighteenth century slave leader. or Hausa? Corresponds to John Canoe in Jamaica and Junkanoo in the Bahamas.

jippi joppa

n.

john charles Joe grind

p.n. n.p.

johnny fidler n. journeyn. cake, johnny-cake Junkanoo p.n.

palm sp. Sabal mexicana, only found in Toledo District. Maya women weave baskets from the leaves. They boil the leaves until just the spine is left. These spines are then dried in the sun. The shoots of jippi joppa are eaten. herb used to cure cough. The leaves are Also known in Jamaica boiled in water. A man who has an affair with another man's woman. fiddler crab sp. bread-like bun with coconut usually ? john in naming of things such as jan kro, eaten at breakfast janny fidla alternative pronunciation of Jankunu

K. kan sham n.p. Dessert snack made by shelling dry maize, parching it in a hot pot and then pounding it in a mortar and sifting it until it is similar to sand. Salt or sugar can be added to the mixture and it can be eaten dry or with water. big freshwater catfish sp. Ovoid green fruit, see under guinep = guinep defiant stance with hands on hips < English akimbo 19

kato kenep kimbo

n. n. n.

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Belize kiskis knit konkas kotobrute kraana kunjai kunku kwam kwash, quash

PoS n. v. n. n. n. n. n. n. n.

Gloss tongs made from a twisted vine, use to catch crabs and for handle hot coals in a cooking fire to weave a fishing net housefly, Musca domestica [ktobrut] sweet made with sugar and coconut strips grazing fish sp. dance type small size or amount crested guan, turkey-like bird, Penelope purpurascens coatimundi, Nasua narica

Etymology < Rama kiskis

< Miskito kikas, kukas English cut + French brut meaning unrefined and referring to sugar ? < Miskito cf. Yoruba konko < Miskito kwamu ? Amerindian.

L. La Chatona p.n. An emblematic figure who appears as a giant puppet in Benque. La Chatona was apparently a rowdy woman who danced and snag at the time of the loggers.

La Sucia

p.n.

lab live oak Llorona

n. n. p.n.

lobsterclaws loggerhead logwood

n. n. n.

lit. dirty woman. Spirit who is a weeping lady. Appears to men out walking late at night and leads them astray in the forest. She weeps because she drowned her children because her lover did not accept them. porridge made with any of a number of ingredients, cassava lab, flour lab, plantain lab tree sp. Quercus oleoides. Used for firewood. [yorona] spirit who is a weeping lady. Appears to men out walking late at night and leads them astray in the forest. herb sp. Heliconia rostrata. Has bright yellow bracts with purple flowers. snapping turtle tree sp. Haematoxylon campechianum. Formerly heavily exploited to make dyes and ink. 20

< Maya. cf. Llorona, Ish Ktabai

< Yorkshire dialect of British English loblolly

< Spanish. cf. Ish Ktabai

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Belize long guard

PoS n.

Gloss fish sp.

Etymology

M. machaka Madera comp madre cacao n. n. de n. freshwater fish, Brycon guatemalensis, < Garifuna only found in southern Belize medicinal plant shrub sp. G1iricidia sepium. Planted to < Spanish shade the cacao trees on plantations and as live fence posts, but only the male type. The flowers are enjoyed by chachalacas, and are eaten by people as a vegetable. They are often cooked with eggs. Boiled bark soothes irritated eyes. The mashed leaves have been used as a poultice for wounds, boils and nappy rash. large tree sp. Swietenia macrophylla. The national tree of Belize. First used for repairing ships, it was sought after by furniture makers, especially in the European market. Maya use mahogany as a shade tree for corn. There is an irritating oil in its twigs and leaves. When in bloom, individuals who are highly sensitive, may feel nauseous, experience headaches, and a burning rash; particularly on the face. Scratches from branches may blister and become inflamed. The oil has been used as a parasiticide for certain skin conditions, and as a stimulant when taken internally. small lizard, Sp. Lagartillo copetudo < Miskito mahklala large tree sp. Pouteria sapota. The fruit is edible and the tree contains a milky latex, which the chicleros used to mix with the latex of the sapodilla to make chicle gum. The bark is used to treat diarrhoea large tree sp. Luebea seemanii commonly found in riverine forests. The light wood is good for making boxes. Small, cream-coloured, fragrant flowers bloom early in the dry season Eaten by the howler monkey. wooden mortar used for processing < E. grains machete, bush-knife Identical form in West Africa folk dance of British origin where the 21

mahogany

n.

maklala, makala mammee apple

n. n.

mapola

mata matchet maypole

n. n. n.

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Belize

PoS

mazapan

n.

meru Mks moal moho monkey monkey apple monkey fiddle monkey's ear mosmos motmot mountain cow

n. excl. n. n. n. n. n. n. n. n. n.

Gloss participants dance circles that weave strips of brightly coloured cloth around a tall pole. Breadfruit, Artocarpus altilis. Bligh brought the breadfruit to the Caribbean in 1792, but it was not able to replace the plantain as a staple food of the area. The breadfruit grows on Ambergris Caye, but is more common on Caye Caulker. A large tree with a spreading crown. The large fruit is round has a stringy flesh rich in starch and sugars. After three years the tree bears fruit which turns slightly yellow when ripe. The fruit can be eaten boiled, baked, roasted or dried and made into flour. grouper, < Spanish Hurry up! soft spot on a babys head, fontanelle < Fr. I think tree sp. The bark is used to make twine. Also the name of a river where these trees grow. spider monkey, Ateles geoffroyi medicinal plant sp. medicinal plant sp.

Etymology

large tree sp. Enterolobium Also tubroos, guanacaste cyclocarpum. See under guanacaste. [msms] small freshwater fish sp. similar to those in aquariums trogon also huthut Baird's tapir, Tapirus bairdii also danto, tzimin

mud eel mudfish muri mutrus, mutruce

n. n. n. n.

fish sp. Synbranchus marmoratus fish sp. Dormitator maculatus dormelon in local Spanish tree, Byrsonima crassifolia, and its < Garifuna. cf. craboo, nance fruit. marine fish sp. Also used in insults, when someone is said to look like a mutrus 22

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Belize

PoS

Gloss

Etymology

N. nance nargusta n. n. tree, Byrsonima crassifolia, and its cf. muri, craboo fruit. tree sp. Terminalia amazonia. The bark constantly peels off like the Gumbolimbo, and is thought to be a strategy to prevent damage from heavy epiphytes. The wood is hard and durable. It has been exported for veneers and furniture, and locally used for bridges, railway ties and panelling. medicinal plant Garifuna expression of frustration. < Garifuna your arse!. cf. bederugo medium-sized tree sp. Simaruba glauca. Negrito is common in broadleaf forests. It has a black fruit in the dry season, March and April, that looks and tastes like an olive. The seed contains an oil used in cooking. The bitterness of its bark protects it from insect attack. The bark and roots contain a powerful astringent, used for diarrhoea, dysentery and internal bleeding. The wood can be used for house frames, broomsticks, matchsticks and boxes. chili pepper variety similar to the < Spanish habanero habanero, corresponding to scotch bonnet small scaly fish kinkajou, Potos flavus used to catch iguanas

Nassau bitters nederugo negrito

n. excl. n.

nero

n.

night and n. day night walker n. noose n.

O. obeah man Old heg n. p.n. occultist, sorcerer Ghost or spirit that lives as an old woman by day, but turns into a blood sucking monster by night. According to some legends, she is able to take off her skin and put it back on. marine fish sp. to put out outside, in the sense of out of the community < Jamaican English ? < English old hag. cf. wangla lady

oldwife out 1. out 2.

n. v. v.c.

That was the first fire I had to out! His wife works out. She goes into town to work.

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Belize P. palo hombre pampa panades panya paperflower papta

PoS

Gloss

Etymology

de n. n. n. n. n. n.

medicinal plant sp. Ptychopetalum olacoides. Said to cure impotence, hence the Spanish name. dolphin. Several species, including the bottlenose dolphin Tursiops truncatus, spotted dolphin Stenella attenuata. minced fish wrapped in a fried soft tortilla Any Hispanic that does not speak Belizean Kriol. vine sp. Bougainvillea sp. Vine introduced from Brazil, often seen climbing up trees, houses or fences. palmetto or fan palm, Acoelorrhaphe wrightii. The palmetto is an indicator species of the pine ridge and savanna. During a fire, it catches fire quickly and explodes, shooting flames into the air and spreading the fire. The wood resists rotting, and has been used as fence posts.

< Spanish stick of a man < Spanish < Spanish < Spanish

< Rama papta. Also Pimenta palm, Paurotis palm, Everglades palm, Madeira palm and Silver saw palmetto

parrotfish paspas fly pataki

n. n. n.

physic nut pichik pickny, picknie pigtail pillage pin wing pine gum pine ridge rat pinkeye piss-a-bed pitpan pleco

n. n. n. n. v. n. n. n. n. n. n. n.

freshwater fish sp. mosquito large rectangular basket with double walls. Wide leaves are layered between the walls to make the basket waterproof and able to float. medicinal shrub sp. Jatropha curcas. The nut is used as a laxative. [pk] aracari toucan child

[not confirmed] < Miskito pataki

cf. billbird < West African Pidgin pickin ultimately Portuguese pequeo.

what it says. A favourite ingredient for boil-up to do s.t. in Garifuna culture doctor fly, Diachlorus ferrugatus Common US name yellow fly medicinal plant sp. hispid cotton rat, Sigmodon hispidus medical condition herb sp. Senna alata, the wild coffee < English. Old English name for the plant. Remedy for bed-wetting and dandelion. = baraja urinary tract infections long flat-bottom dugout canoe < Miskito pitpan armoured catfish. An intrusive Amazon species causing problems in Belize waterways 24

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Belize poke pokonoboy

PoS n. n.

Gloss vagina palm sp. Bactris major. This palm was once called Pork and dough boy. Tongs for cooking or removing coals were made from the fire-resistant wood of its trunk. The entire trunk, stem and leaves are covered with sharp spines. It is regarded as a pest, because it forms dense thickets. The fruits are eaten or used to flavour drinks. tree sp. used to make poles for canoeing medicinal plant sp. Hamelia coccinea

Etymology cf. bread, cocoa, hotbox

polewood polly redhead poor joe porgy possum pot licker potato pound pothound prankish prickly yellow provision bark provision fruit provision tree punta

n. n. n. n. n. n.p. n.p. n.p. a. n. n. n. n. n., v.

green-backed heron marine fish spp. Archosargus probatocephalus opossum spp. mongrel dog Square cake made from boiled and pounded sweet potato with coconut mongrel dog prone to play practical jokes [not confirmed] medicinal plant sp. bark of the provision tree. Used to make medicinal tea. fruit of the provision tree. Large, edible tree sp. Pachira aquatica vigorous dance accompanied by drumming and singing, to dance the punta, generally associated with the Garifuna, using turtle shells and drums. The dancers go on tiptoes, hence the Spanish term punta meaning point. father fish sp. Gambusia sp. herb sp. Portulaca oleracea. medicinal medicinal plant sp. bird sp., the Central American magpie or brown jay (Psilorhynus mexicana or morio) Spanish punta

pupa pupsy pussly puta secco pyampyam

n. n. n. n. n.

< papa also pitaseco < Miskito piampiam.

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Belize Q. quam quamwood

PoS

Gloss

Etymology

n. n.

Crested Guan, Pava cojolita, a large forest bird which feeds on the seed pods of quamwood. tree sp. Schizolobium parahybum. In the dry season, bright yellow flowers bloom once the leaves have fallen. Its wood has been used for box and cratemaking, as well as for paper pulp.

R. raati ramon n. n. large sea crab sp., Callinectes sp. tree sp. Brosimum alicastrum. Locally called breadnut, though not the true Pacific breadnut. Planted by the Maya close to their homesteads. generic term for small rat-tailed bats tree sp., Terminalia catappa. medicinal plant sp. large species of sea crab, Callinectes sp. [rekaado] red, pasty spice made from anatto seeds, Bixa orellana puma, Puma concolor < Miskito rahti. Also ratty crab.

ratbat ratbat tree rat root ratty crab recado red tiger

n. n. n. n. n. n.

Also in Jamaica [DJE] Also hammon < Miskito rahti. Also raati. < Spanish

relleno

n.

rhuda rice beans ridge rockfish romero rompopo royal rat ruguma rusho

n. and n.p. n. n. n. n. n. n. n.

[reyeno] chicken soup made with chicken stuffed with ground pork, boiled eggs and seasoned with black recado medicinal plant sp. rice and beans cooked together. beans and rice (q.v.) forested area, as in pine ridge ( elevated terrain) fish sp. medicinal plant sp. eggnog-like drink paca, a mammal. cf. details under gibnut woven filter for cassava dance style 26

< Spanish relleno stuffed

English ridge influenced by Miskito or Sumu asa meaning forested, hilly area

so named when eaten by the visiting Queen Elizabeth II in 1985. < Garifuna. cf. wowla

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Belize

PoS

Gloss

Etymology

S. salbutes saltfish saltwater mudfish sambai sandpaper tree n. n. n. n. n. food type Fish dried and salted for preservation. fish sp. fertility dance of the Gales Point Maroons, done during a full moon tree sp. Curatella Americana. The seeds can be roasted and eaten, and have been used to flavour chocolate. Charcoal has been made from the wood of this tree. dance, a type of waltz, adopted from Mexico, originally from the Zapotec people tree sp. Calophyllum antillanum. Its wood was used in shipbuilding. large herb sp. Pothomorphe peltata This is a herb with large, aromatic heart-shaped leaves. The leaves are used to relieve various body aches and pains. Traditionally, a herbal bath of leaves is taken for rheumatism and arthritis. For stomach aches, headaches, and muscle spasms, a leaf can be heated and applied to the troubled area. small river fish (tetra) used to bait hooks medicinal plant sp. West Indian sea urchin, Tripneustes ventricosus. Coccoloba uvifera. A small green fruit resembling a grape growing close to the sea. Some fruits become tinged with red or purple as they ripen. The Sea Grape is native to the Caribbean region. Some historians believe it was the first plant that Columbus saw when he arrived in the 15th century. It takes on two different forms, depending on the habitat. On open seashores, it is a sprawling shrub. In more protected, dense vegetation, it is a tree which grows up to 35 ft. The grape-like fruits which grow on the female plant are tart but edible. It is made into preserves, syrup and wine. Its strong, heavy wood has only been used as fuel. white and purple sea bean, . 27 < ? West African samba also yaha. < Central American Spanish This corresponds to stockfish in West Africa and the Portuguese bacalao

sandunga santamaria santiago

n. n. n.

< Zapotec via Spanish. Also zandunga

sardine scorpion tail sea egg sea grape

n. n. n. n.

= bilam

sea pearl

n.

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Belize seed sha jikit shall I baby sheepshead single bible sisi sketel

PoS n. n. n.p. n. n. n. n.

Gloss

Etymology

small tiger n. cat snakeplant n.

testicles biting fly of the Tabanidae, which ? < Hausa sucks blood Another man's child that is passed off deceptively to an unsuspecting man to father as his own. marine fish sp. Archosargus probatocephalus medicinal plant sp. male homosexual < English sissy. cf. also batty boy, chichi man. promiscuous woman, prostitute. skets [unconfirmed] is said to be an equivalent margay, Leopardus wiedii herb sp. Sansevieria trifasciata. The colour pattern on this stemless plant resembles that of a snake. For snakebite chew on fresh leaves. Rashes and skin sores can be helped by bathing them with water in which the leaves have been boiled. Place leaf juice in water for chickens, which helps prevent diseases. fish sp. There is a marine and a freshwater species. vine sp. Momordica charantia or M. = cerasee balsamina. with a bumpy, ribbed, yellow-skinned fruit, the fruit has red, sticky, sweet seeds inside, the fruit and leaves are used for a number of folkmedicinal purposes. Also used to make wine.

snook sorosi

n. n.

sote sour plum Spanish shela spice seed spring chicken stew stinking toe

conj. [st] until, up to n. n. n. n. a. n. green sour fruit, picked in January medicinal plant sp. allspice marine toad

< English so till. Attested in Jamaica [DJE] and said to derive from Cameroun Pidgin

placed before the object stewed, such stew chicken chicken stew as chicken, fish, pumpkin tree sp. Cassia grandis. A large tree Also bukut, beef-feed. The expression is which flowers during the dry season. known in the Caribbean [DFE], but appears 28

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Belize

PoS

stone bark stretch-myguts stupes subin suelda con suelda supa, soopa susumba

n. n. v. n. n. n. n.

Gloss The large podlike fruits are up to a metre long and their smell gives the tree its name. The branches, fruit and leaves have been used in traditional medicine. The juice of its seed pods is used as a tonic drink for fatigue and also applied to the skin to get rid of ringworm and fungus. A leaf tea is used as a blood tonic, and is believed to be good for diabetes. medicinal bark, Malmea depressa sweet like taffy, made from coconut and sugar ? to make sucking noise acacia sp. medicinal plant sp.

Etymology to apply to a different plant, Hymenaea courbaril

= elemuy [not confirmed] = cocks spur < Spanish

tall palm tree sp., with a starchy < Miskito supa orange-coloured fruit (Culielma utilis or Acromia mexicana) medicinal plant sp. pea aubergine, This name also known in Jamaica [DJE]. Solanum torvum DJE says this derives from Ewe susume, but the dictionaries I have consulted give S. torvum as susuruba

swanka sweet liquorice swordtail

n. n. n.

small land turtle medicinal plant sp. fish sp. Xiphophorus sp.

T. tarpon tablayta tamales n. n. n. large marine fish, Tarpon atlanticus coconut sweet cut into squares cf. Miskito tahpam French tablette meaning cake, slab (of chocolate) food made of chicken and corn meal Latin American Spanish tamales < Nahuatl wrapped in a plantain leaf and boiled tamalii meaning a corn flour dough mixed with meat and peppers wrapped in corn leaves ice-cream bean, pacay, guama, Inga Also bribri feuilleei. Tree with large edible pods. tamarind, Tamarindus indica Also in Jamaica [DJE] 29

tamatama tambran

n. n.

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Belize taray Tata Duhende

PoS n. p.n.

Gloss medicinal bark mythical short man who lives in the bush, his feet are backwards and he has no thumbs. He wears a big hat and he likes to steal horses to ride them. medicinal plant sp. seat in a dory canoe general word for strong, cord jaguar, Panthera once

Etymology This figure is undoubtedly from Southern Ghanaian folklore. Hence the tata is probably African not Latin American Spanish tata father + duende bush spirit, originally < Miskito duhinduhin. Also in Jamaica [DJE]

tea box thwart tie-tie tiger

n. n. n. n.

tiger cat

n.

ocelot, Leopardus pardalis

tilly ting toby full pot

n. n. n.p.

penis girl great blue heron, Ardea herodias

also bolo, toto. < English thing

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Belize tommy goff

PoS n.

Gloss pit viper, Bothrops asper

Etymology also yellow jaw. cf. Guatemalan Spanish tomagasse.

topnotch chick

n.

grey-necked wood rail, Aramides cajaneus

toto trijolea trumpet tree

n. n. n.

tuba tubroos turk

n. n. n.

also bolo, tilly. NB toto is found in Nigerian English for clitoris. medicinal plant sp. = yama bush tree sp., Cecropia peltata. The Maya Also with this name in Jamaica, Trinidad, used the stems to make ceremonial Barbados. trumpets. This tree has a symbiotic relationship with a species of ant, Azteca sp. which lives in the hollow trunk. The ants are aggressive and will come out and bite anything that touches the tree. The tree grows very fast and it is a gap species, one of the first trees to appear in disturbed forest. The leaves are favourites of the tapir, monkeys and deer. The seeds of the trumpet tree are dispersed by birds and fruit bats and the wind. A tea of the leaves is used for high blood pressure. Indigenous to this region but judged to be a major invasive species elsewhere. river fish sp., Cichlisoma spp. Miskito tuba large tree sp. Enterolobium Also guanacaste, monkey's ear tree cyclocarpum. See under guanacaste. storks (jabiru & wood) ? < English stork.

penis

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Belize

PoS

Gloss

Etymology

twelve oclock

n.

Madagascar periwinkle, Catharanthus roseus. Native to Madagascar but introduced in the Eastern Caribbean. A globally reputed medicinal plant.

U. V. velvet leaf vex, bex vining palm n. v.c. n. medicinal plant sp. angry. the pronunciation with b- is I get vex. I got angry. WAE generally found more often in rural areas palm sp. used to weave baskets

W. waari, waan n. white-lipped peccary, Tayasu pecari < Miskito wari. Also warree

waawa waha (leaf) Waika

a. n. p.n.

cowardly, childishly foolish < Hausa wawa foolish broad-leaf plant, Calathea insignis, < Miskito waha whose leaves are used for wrapping and serving food items Creole name for the Miskito Indians, < Miskito waika brother-in-law extended to any non-Maya Indian 32

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Belize wangla Wangla lady warree warree cohune

PoS n. p.n. n. n.

wash rag water dog weak belly weewi, weewee white maya

n. n. n. n. n.

Gloss sesame seed, a sweet made with sesame seeds Ghost or spirit that lives as an old woman by day. [not confirmed] peccary. palm sp., Astrocaryum mexicanum. A small palm tree, found in dense, wet lowland forests. The bark is covered in sharp spines which resemble the bristles of the peccary. The spines quickly break off and become embedded in the skin. face flannel, washcloth water opossum, Chironectes mimimus or neotropical otter, Lontra longicaudis diarrhoea or other forms of upset stomach leaf-cutting ant sp., Atta cephalotea Tree sp., Miconia argentea. A common tree of the savanna and pine ridge areas. The leaves are five-veined with a white underside. The berries, which ripen during the rainy season, attract birds. The berries can be eaten or fermented to make wine. dance, particularly one that involves gyrations of the waist, hips and buttocks. vigorous dance, especially with swinging of the hips spine-tailed lizard snake sp., boa constrictor long snake-shaped basket used for processing cassava for breadmaking. neotropical otter, Lutra longicaudis. bags of cocaine found floating on the reef by fishermen and sold for considerable profit. A modern version of the tale in the Arabian nights. The giant grouper, Epinepheus itanajara, is one of the largest and most profitable species taken by fishermen.

Etymology Kikongo waangila meaning sesame seed cf. Old heg. cf. waari

? by analogy with US washcloth

< Miskito wiwi

wine windup wish willy wowla 1. wowla 2. water dog white grouper

n. n. n. n. n. n.p. n.p.

Old English wind meaning to turn this way and that, to wiggle or writhe. But also Quechua wayno, an important dance type. < English < Miskito waula boa. = ruguma Similar forms occur in West Africa, e.g. Hausa karen ruwa. Also Miskito li yula meaning literally water + dog

X. xate xatero n. n. [aate] Chamaedorea ernesti-augustii also fishtail and other Chamaedorea spp. [aatero] collector of the leaves of xate < Guatemalan Spanish 33

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Belize Y. Yard yama bush yampa yellow belly yellow jaw yellowtail yemeri

PoS

Gloss

Etymology

p.n. n. n. n. n. n. n.

yerriso

n.

Jamaica medicinal plant sp. = trijolea yam sp. with purple flesh someone with obvious tan lines. pit viper, Bothrops asper cf. tommy goff bird sp. tree sp. Vochysia hondurensis. Yemeri grows best on sandy, clay soils. Its timber is used most often `or dugout canoes, but it also is a good wood for house siding and for boxes. gossip < English I hear so Ah yer so. I hear such a thing

Z. zinc n. [zink] corrugated galvanized metal < zinc (English) sheets used for roofing and fences

Some Belizean expressions Catch and kill Someone who goes after something to exploit it immediately Change dog for black monkey To exchange one thing for something identical. Dog is the only animal which chases you and barks Describes an enemy who draws attention to himself References Abraham, R.C. 1958. Dictionary of Modern Yoruba. London: University of London. Abraham, R.C. 1962. Dictionary of the Hausa language. London: University of London Press. Allsopp, Richard 1996. Dictionary of Caribbean English Usage. Oxford: Oxford University Press Arivgo, Rosita. 1992. Panti Maya Medicine Trail Field Guide. Tropical Research Foundation Ltd. San Ignacio, Cayo, Belize Arvigo, Rosita and Michael Ballick. 1992. Rainforest Remedies, One Hundred Healing Herbs of Belize. Lotus Press, Twin Lakes, WI. Barlow, Virginia. 1993. The Nature of The Islands, Plants and Animals of the Eastern Caribbean. Dunedin, FL: Chris Doyle Publishing and Cruising Guide Publications. Belize Forestry Department 1946. Forty-Two Secondary Hardwood Timbers of British Honduras. Bulletin No. 1 Burkill, H.M. 1985. The Useful Plants of West Tropical Africa, Families A-D, Kew: Royal Botanic Gardens. Burkill, H.M. 1994. The Useful Plants of West Tropical Africa, Families E-I, Kew: Royal Botanic Gardens. Burkill, H.M. 1995. The Useful Plants of West Tropical Africa, Families J-L, Kew, Royal Botanic Gardens. 34

Belize English Dictionary

Roger Blench

Circulation Draft

Burkill, H.M. 1997. The Useful Plants of West Tropical Africa, Families M-R, Kew: Royal Botanic Gardens. Burkill, H.M. 2000. The Useful Plants of West Tropical Africa, Families S-Z, Kew: Royal Botanic Gardens. Burkill, H.M. 2004. The Useful Plants of West Tropical Africa, General Index. Kew: Royal Botanic Gardens. Cassidy, Frederic G. 1961. Jamaica Talk: Three Hundred Years of the English Language in Jamaica. London: Macmillan. Cassidy, Frederic G. & R.B. Le Page 1967. Dictionary of Jamaican English. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Christaller, J.G. 1933. Dictionary of the Asante and Fante language called Twi. Basel: Basel Evangelical Missionary Society. Harris, Kate 2009. Trees of Belize. BRC Printing, Belize: Kate Harris. Henderson, Robert W. and Leo G. Hoevers 1975. A Checklist and Key to the Amphibians and Reptiles of Belize Central America. Contributions in Biology and Geology. No. 5. Milwaukee, Wisconsin: Milwaukee Public Museum. Holm, John A. 1977. Miskito words in Belize Creole. Belizean Studies, 5(6):1-17. Holm, John A. 1978. The Creole English of Nicaraguas Miskito Coast: its sociolinguistic history and a comparative study of its lexicon and syntax. Ph.D. University of London. Holm, John A. & A. W. Shilling 1982. Dictionary of Bahamian English. Cold Spring, NY: Lexik House Publishers. Horwich, Robert H. and Jonathan Lyons. 1990. A Belizean Rainforest, The Community Baboon Sanctuary. Hynek Printing, Richland Center, WI. Kropp-Dakubu, Mary-Esther 1999. Ga-English Dictionary. Lee, J.C. The Amphibians and Reptiles of the Yucatn Peninsula. Ithaca, New York: Comstock Publishing Associates, Cornell University Press. Lee, J.C. 2000. A field guide to the Amphibians and Reptiles of the Maya World. Ithaca, New York: Comstock Publishing Associates Lennox, G.W. and S.A. Seddon. 1990. The Flowers of the Caribbean, the Bahamas and Bermuda. London and Basingstoke: MacMillan Education Ltd. McCarthy, Timothy J. 1998. Mammals of Belize: A Checklist. Belize; Producciones de la Hamaca Caye Caulker. Mendes, John 1986. Cote ce Cote la: Trinidad & Tobago Dictionary. Trinidad: Arima. Meyer, J. R. & C. Farneti Foster 1996. A Guide to the Frogs and Toads of Belize. Malabar, Florida: Krieger Publishing Company. Morris, D. 1883. The colony of British Honduras. London: Stanford. Nicolait, Robert and Associates Ltd. 1984. Belize Country Environmental Profile, A Field Study. 1984. Sanjose, Costa Rica: Trejos Hermanos. Rongier, Jacques 1995. Dictionnaire franais-w. Paris: ACCT-Karthala. Seddon, S.A. and G.W. Lennox. 1993. Trees of the Caribbean. London and Basingstoke: The MacMillan Press Ltd. Websites http://ambergriscaye.com/fieldguide/index.html

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