Anglophone Caribbean
Encyclopedia
The term Commonwealth Caribbean is used to refer to the independent English
-speaking countries of the Caribbean
region. Upon a country's full independence from the United Kingdom
, Anglophone Caribbean or Commonwealth Caribbean traditionally becomes the preferred sub-regional term as a replacement to British West Indies
.
island-nations that are considered as Commonwealth Caribbean include:
(predominantly Antillean French Creole
-speaking) (some Antillean French Creole
-speaking) (predominantly Antillean French Creole
-speaking)
Anglophone Caribbean may sometimes also refer to the independent English-speaking countries considered regionally as the "Mainland Caribbean". These include:
, once known as British Honduras
., once known as British Guiana
.
Sometimes, it also includes the current Caribbean British overseas territories
, however they are usually just referred to as the "British West Indies," and they include:
The Anglophone Caribbean can also include:
Bermuda is often excluded from the term "Anglophone Caribbean" due to its location in the North Atlantic Ocean. The U.S. Virgin Islands and the English-speaking islands of the Dutch West Indies, although in the Caribbean, are often excluded due to their lack of a British colonial heritage. Because the Dutch never imposed their language on their Caribbean colonies to the extent of Great Britain and other colonial powers, English is predominant and is an official language (along with Dutch) in St. Maarten, Saba and St. Eustatius. Although English is an official language of Puerto Rico, a great deal of the people use Spanish as their primary language.
The Anglophone Caribbean makes up a composite cricket
team that successfully competes in test matches and one-day internationals. The West Indies cricket team also includes the South America
n country of Guyana
, as another former British colony. Bermuda, U.S. Virgin Islands, and the English-speaking Dutch West Indies also participate in Anglophone Caribbean-related activities such as 20/20 Cricket.
. These communities, which began forming in the seventeenth century, include areas of Nicaragua and Honduras that made up the Miskito Kingdom which was under British protection after 1740, the Garifuna community which was deported to the coat in 1797 and took up English as its language, and the many and numerous Anglophone Caribbean people who were brought to Central America by the canal companies (the French and American Panama canal
efforts), railroad companies, and particularly the fruit companies, such as United Fruit
after the 1870s and particularly in the first decades of the twentieth century. Many have never fully integrated into the otherwise Spanish speaking communities in which they reside.
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
-speaking countries of the Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
region. Upon a country's full independence from the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, Anglophone Caribbean or Commonwealth Caribbean traditionally becomes the preferred sub-regional term as a replacement to British West Indies
British West Indies
The British West Indies was a term used to describe the islands in and around the Caribbean that were part of the British Empire The term was sometimes used to include British Honduras and British Guiana, even though these territories are not geographically part of the Caribbean...
.
Territories included
The independentIndependence
Independence is a condition of a nation, country, or state in which its residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory....
island-nations that are considered as Commonwealth Caribbean include:
(predominantly Antillean French Creole
Antillean Creole
Antillean Creole is a creole language with a vocabulary based on French. It is spoken primarily in the Lesser Antilles. Its grammar and vocabulary also include elements of Carib and African languages. Antillean Creole is related to Haitian Creole, but has a number of distinctive features; they are...
-speaking) (some Antillean French Creole
Antillean Creole
Antillean Creole is a creole language with a vocabulary based on French. It is spoken primarily in the Lesser Antilles. Its grammar and vocabulary also include elements of Carib and African languages. Antillean Creole is related to Haitian Creole, but has a number of distinctive features; they are...
-speaking) (predominantly Antillean French Creole
Antillean Creole
Antillean Creole is a creole language with a vocabulary based on French. It is spoken primarily in the Lesser Antilles. Its grammar and vocabulary also include elements of Carib and African languages. Antillean Creole is related to Haitian Creole, but has a number of distinctive features; they are...
-speaking)
Anglophone Caribbean may sometimes also refer to the independent English-speaking countries considered regionally as the "Mainland Caribbean". These include:
, once known as British Honduras
British Honduras
British Honduras was a British colony that is now the independent nation of Belize.First colonised by Spaniards in the 17th century, the territory on the east coast of Central America, south of Mexico, became a British crown colony from 1862 until 1964, when it became self-governing. Belize became...
., once known as British Guiana
British Guiana
British Guiana was the name of the British colony on the northern coast of South America, now the independent nation of Guyana.The area was originally settled by the Dutch at the start of the 17th century as the colonies of Essequibo, Demerara, and Berbice...
.
Sometimes, it also includes the current Caribbean British overseas territories
British overseas territories
The British Overseas Territories are fourteen territories of the United Kingdom which, although they do not form part of the United Kingdom itself, fall under its jurisdiction. They are remnants of the British Empire that have not acquired independence or have voted to remain British territories...
, however they are usually just referred to as the "British West Indies," and they include:
The Anglophone Caribbean can also include:
Bermuda is often excluded from the term "Anglophone Caribbean" due to its location in the North Atlantic Ocean. The U.S. Virgin Islands and the English-speaking islands of the Dutch West Indies, although in the Caribbean, are often excluded due to their lack of a British colonial heritage. Because the Dutch never imposed their language on their Caribbean colonies to the extent of Great Britain and other colonial powers, English is predominant and is an official language (along with Dutch) in St. Maarten, Saba and St. Eustatius. Although English is an official language of Puerto Rico, a great deal of the people use Spanish as their primary language.
The Anglophone Caribbean makes up a composite cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
team that successfully competes in test matches and one-day internationals. The West Indies cricket team also includes the South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
n country of Guyana
Guyana
Guyana , officially the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, previously the colony of British Guiana, is a sovereign state on the northern coast of South America that is culturally part of the Anglophone Caribbean. Guyana was a former colony of the Dutch and of the British...
, as another former British colony. Bermuda, U.S. Virgin Islands, and the English-speaking Dutch West Indies also participate in Anglophone Caribbean-related activities such as 20/20 Cricket.
Informal Anglophone Communities in Central America
In addition to these formally recognized countries, there are substantial communities of Anglo-Caribbean origin along the Atlantic or Caribbean coast of Central America, as a part of the Western Caribbean ZoneWestern Caribbean Zone
The Western Caribbean Zone is a historic region that formed in the late sixteenth century and includes the Caribbean coasts of Central America, from Yucatán in Mexico to northern Colombia, and also the islands west of Jamaica...
. These communities, which began forming in the seventeenth century, include areas of Nicaragua and Honduras that made up the Miskito Kingdom which was under British protection after 1740, the Garifuna community which was deported to the coat in 1797 and took up English as its language, and the many and numerous Anglophone Caribbean people who were brought to Central America by the canal companies (the French and American Panama canal
Panama Canal
The Panama Canal is a ship canal in Panama that joins the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean and is a key conduit for international maritime trade. Built from 1904 to 1914, the canal has seen annual traffic rise from about 1,000 ships early on to 14,702 vessels measuring a total of 309.6...
efforts), railroad companies, and particularly the fruit companies, such as United Fruit
United Fruit Company
It had a deep and long-lasting impact on the economic and political development of several Latin American countries. Critics often accused it of exploitative neocolonialism and described it as the archetypal example of the influence of a multinational corporation on the internal politics of the...
after the 1870s and particularly in the first decades of the twentieth century. Many have never fully integrated into the otherwise Spanish speaking communities in which they reside.
See also
- English-speaking worldEnglish-speaking worldThe English-speaking world consists of those countries or regions that use the English language to one degree or another. For more information, please see:Lists:* List of countries by English-speaking population...
- Anglo America
- British West IndiesBritish West IndiesThe British West Indies was a term used to describe the islands in and around the Caribbean that were part of the British Empire The term was sometimes used to include British Honduras and British Guiana, even though these territories are not geographically part of the Caribbean...
- Caribbean CommunityCaribbean CommunityThe Caribbean Community is an organisation of 15 Caribbean nations and dependencies. CARICOM's main purposes are to promote economic integration and cooperation among its members, to ensure that the benefits of integration are equitably shared, and to coordinate foreign policy...
- Caribbean EnglishCaribbean EnglishCaribbean English is a broad term for the dialects of the English language spoken in the Caribbean, most countries on the Caribbean coast of Central America, and Guyana. Caribbean English is influenced by the English-based Creole varieties spoken in the region, but they are not the same. In the...
- French CaribbeanFrench CaribbeanThe term French Caribbean varies in meaning with its usage and frame of reference. This ambiguity makes it very different from the term French West Indies, which refers to the specific, formal French possessions in the Caribbean region...
and Hispanophone CaribbeanHispanophone CaribbeanHispanophone Caribbean refers to those parts of the Caribbean islands where Spanish is the main language, and where a history of Spanish colonization influences culture, through religion, language, cuisine, and so on...
(for other parts of the Caribbean) - Languages of the CaribbeanLanguages of the CaribbeanThe languages of the Caribbean reflect the region's diverse history and culture. There are four official languages spoken in the Caribbean. However there are also number of creoles and local patois . Dozens of the creole languages of the Caribbean are widely used for inter-ethnic communication...