Religions and languages in Trinidad & Tobago

With regards to the state language of Trinidad and Tobago, it is worth considering that the country has experienced a difficult linguistic formation. History shows that at the time of colonization, the islands had several different official languages. At the moment, Trinidad and Tobago decided to establish only one single state language – English. This decision was influenced by the former affiliation of the islands with Great Britain. At the same time, linguists have noted that the Trinidadian English dialect prevails on the island. However, the speech of the islanders may well be understood by the native speakers of classical English. The Caribbean accent is especially prevalent among black locals. It should be noted that at the end of the 19th century, the islands being subservient to Great Britain, accepted a large number of Indian immigrants. That is why, the so-called hindi-urdu language which is a derivative of the Indian dialect, began to gradually develop here. Today, this language is still common in some regions of the country, although linguists believe it is disappearing.

Until the moment when Great Britain seized power over Trinidad and Tobago, these territories were dominated by the Creole language. It is also derived from English, but is lexically slightly different. Modern Trinidadian English is lexically supplemented by Americanisms. To date, the islands have a small proportion of local citizens who speak French. The islands were never under the authority of France, but under the Spanish rule, a lot of wealthy French escaped into this territory out of fear of the Revolution that was taking place in Haiti. At the same time, the Corsicans, Italians, and representatives of modern Dominican and Guadeloupe moved to the islands. Consequently, the richest segments of the population gradually began to speak French.

Until the occupation of Great Britain, the islands even considered French as their state language. If we talk about the first European linguistic direction to appear on Trinidad and Tobago, it was Spanish. Unfortunately, Spanish sovereignty did not pay due attention to the colonization of the islands, therefore there was no linguistic unity on its territory. Notwithstanding, it should be noted that several well-known aristocratic wealthy families from Spain still moved to the islands and eventually formed the white-skinned elite. When Britain came to power, there were major language changes on the islands. The English-speaking people on the territory of Trinidad and Tobago were very few, but the well-formulated policies of the British Empire led to the fact that among the local population, French and Spanish began to voluntarily move to the periphery. Copyright www.orangesmile.com

As for the black population which previously spoke Creole-French, it gradually began to accept Creole English. In order for a new language to quickly gain roots among blacks, England began to send its own black slaves who spoke only English, to the islands. Despite the fact that the islands are located very close to Venezuela, Spanish language in the country is now practically not common. Nevertheless, the state apparatus is trying to return Spanish to the life of the islanders. For 10 years already, children have been learning this language in schools. The government also plans to award the status of second state language to Spanish in a few years.

If we talk about religion, Christianity prevails in Trinidad and Tobago. According to the latest population census, there are three main directions of Christianity on the islands. Catholics account for about 30%, and there are also Protestants and Anglicans. There is a community of Muslims too, which account for no more than 5%, as well as large communities of Hindus who account for about 30% of the total believing population. The religious situation in the country was also significantly influenced by historical events but this is true for any country in the world.

After the British took over the islands, the Catholic faith became fundamental in the country. The heterogeneity of the people gave rise to the Baptist and Pentecostal community, who zealously honor the traditions of their ancestors and nurture their children in a strictly religious system. Despite the well-established religious situation, the number of believers on the islands is gradually decreasing every year. Atheism on the islands is brought by young people who went to study abroad and succumbed to Western trends.