U.S. Virgin Islands Languages

U.S. Virgin Islands

Languages

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Description

There are a wide variety of languages spoken in the U.S. Virgin Islands:

• English is currently the dominant language. English has been the predominant language since 1917, when the islands were transferred from Denmark to the United States.
• Spanish is spoken by about 17% of the population. It is mostly spoken by Puerto Ricans; Puerto Rican migration was prevalent in the 1930s, 40s and 50s, when many Puerto Ricans relocated to Saint Croix for work after the collapse of the sugar industry. In informal situations, many Puerto Ricans in Saint Croix speak a unique Spanglish-like combination of Puerto Rican Spanish and the local Crucian dialect of creole English.
• Other languages are spoken by 11% of the population.

• Danish was the official language under Danish rule, but it was solely the language of administration and spoken by Danes, a tiny minority of the overall population that primarily occupied administrative roles in colonial Danish West Indian society. Danish never was a spoken language among the populace, black or non-Danish white.
• Dutch was more common under Danish rule as the majority of plantation and slave owners were of Dutch, English, Scottish, Irish, or Spanish descent.
• Virgin Islands Creole English is an English-based creole locally known as "dialect", is spoken in informal situations. The form of Virgin Islands Creole spoken on St. Croix, known as Crucian, is slightly different from that spoken on St. Thomas and St. John. Because the U.S. Virgin Islands are home to thousands of immigrants from across the Caribbean.
• French creole languages are also widely spoken.

In summary, as of the 2000 census, 25.3% of persons over the age of five speak a language other than English at home. Spanish is spoken by 16.8% of the population and French is spoken by 6.6%.

Word List(s)

Dutch

• Dutch Genealogical Word List

French

• French Genealogical Word List

Spanish

• Spanish Genealogical Word List

Virgin Islands English

• Virgin Islands English Creole Word List
• Virgin Islands Creole-to-English translations

Alphabet and Pronunciation

Dutch

• Dutch Alphabet and Pronunciation
• Dutch Alphabet and Pronunciation

French

• French Alphabet and Pronunciation
• French Alphabet and Pronunciation

Spanish

• Spanish Alphabet and Pronunciation
• Spanish Alphabet and Pronunciation

Language Aids and Dictionaries

Dutch or Netherlands

• Netherlands Handwriting

French

• French Handwriting
• French Letter Writing Guide
• French Languages

Spanish

• Deciphering Spanish Handwriting
• Spanish Letter Writing Guide
• Spanish Languages

Virgin Islands Creole

• Virgin Islands Creole Grammatical structure and pronunciation

Additional Resources

• What a pistarckle! : a glossary of Virgin Islands English Creole
• A brief description and dictionary of the language used in the Virgin Islands
• A brief history, description, and dictionary of the everyday language of Virgin Islands children
• A comparative study of Creole French dialects