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Helenese (Elineess /iːlaɪniːs ~ hiːliːniːz/) is a dialect spoken on the Atlantic island of Saint Helena. It is spoken at home by some 220,000 people, roughly just under one-fifth of the island's population. Although Helenese and British English (the most common English on the Island) are both extremely similar, especially in conversation, it has brought up some very important discussions in the recent history of the Island.
Status[]
Although some 19% of the population speak it at home, it has not yet been standardised and has yet to gain status as an official or even local language in the Saint Helena constitution. There has been support for its promotion both politically and socially. Some sources say that only some 25% of the population who don't speak it at home can speak the dialect.
Some phrases[]
Helenese uses some more older words borrowed from British English such as Pub /pʌb/ and Quid /kwɪd/. Some Common Helenese phrases include:
- Ouw yuo dooen emayt? /aʊw juːəʊ duːn iːmeɪt/ - How are you doing mate? /haʊ ɑː juː duːɪŋ meɪt/
- Ay sheek Elineess /eɪ ʃiːk iːlaɪniːs/ - I speak Helenese /aɪ spiːk hɛləniːz/
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