Word Order Gender Glossary Speaking Gullah
Content
Factsheet
Development of Gullah
Learning Gullah
Black English
Sea Island Culture
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Reference
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| Gullah: Sea Island Creole | ||||||||||
| Nouns Verbs Pronouns Tense Word Order Gender Glossary Speaking Gullah |
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| TENSE | ||||||||||
| Home Content Factsheet Development of Gullah Learning Gullah Black English Sea Island Culture Photos Reference |
In Gullah little importance is attached to the actual time when an event takes place. It may be the manner of the action (mood), or the character of it (aspect), or possibly both as they impress the Gullah speaker at the moment that are important. Accordingly, the form of the verb used to refer to present time is frequently the same as that used in reference to the past, and often there is no change in form when the future is intended. Likewise, there is usually no special form to indicate whether or not the action is continuous. The practice of the Gullah speaker is to select the simplest form of the verb, before which he may or may not place the word da:oi go or oi da go may mean any of the following: 'I go', 'I went' , 'I am going', 'I was going', 'I shall go', or even ' I had gone'. Usually, however, the future is indicated by prefixing the word going to the verb go without to. In Gullah also, bina 'been' placed before a verb may be expressed in English by the past, perfect, or pluperfect tense and the action may or may not be continuous: wot una bina du? means 'What did you do?' or 'What were you doing?' or 'What have you done?' or 'What have you been doing?' or 'What had you done?' or 'What had you been doing?'. | |||||||||