Also Known As:
Geechee, Gullah, Sea Island Creole
Dialects & Varieties
- Gullah
- Geechee
- Afro-Seminole
Gullah
Gullah
Severely Endangered
80 percent certain, based on the evidence available
Speaker Number Trends
Speaker Number Trend 4
Less than half of the community speaks the language, and speaker numbers are decreasing at an accelerated pace.
4
Domains of Use
Domain Of Use 4
Used mainly only in the home and/or with family, and may not be the primary language even in these domains for many community members.
4
Transmission
Transmission 4
Many of the grandparent generation speak the language, but younger people generally do not.
4
Speakers
Native or fluent speakers:
No results found.
Second-language speakers and learners
No results found.
Semi-speakers or rememberers
No results found.
Children:
No results found.
Young adults
No results found.
Older adults
No results found.
Elders
No results found.
Ethnic or community population
No results found.
Year information was gathered
No results found.
Comments on speakers
No results found.
Location and Context
Countries
Gullah is spoken along the U.S. south Atlantic coastline from Sandy Island near Georgetown, South Caroline to St. Simmons and St. Marys, Georgia; possibly from North Carolina to upper Florida. The Afro-Seminole dialect is spoken by the descendants of those who fled South Carolina and Georgia to Florida, then were exiled to Oklahoma in the 1830s. (Weldon, 2006)
Location Description
No results found.
Government Support
Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor Commission (U.S. National Park Service)
Institutional Support
The Penn Center
Speakers' Attitude
Past negative stereotypes and misconceptions discouraged some older speakers from passing Gullah on to their descendants, for fear outsiders would ridicule them. Now Gullah functions as a significant marker of culture, history, and identity in the communities where it is spoken. There is a concerted effort to preserve and promote the language and culture through storytelling, Bible translation, heritage tours, music festivals, and other initiatives. (Weldon, 2006)
Other Languages Used By The Community
English
Number of Other Language Speakers:
None
Domains of Other Languages:
None
Writing Systems
Standard orthography:
No results found.
Writing system:
No results found.
Other writing systems used:
No results text.
Comments on writing systems:
No results found.
Recent Resources
Published by the American Bible Society (New York, 2005)