BelizeKriol_EngDic_49337_2009

The Kriol Writing SystemThe Kriol writing system is phonemic, based on sound ratherthan rules. Each sound is represented by only one symbol. Forexample: a word containing the ‘long e’ sound will always be writtenas ee in Kriol, regardless of how it is spelled in English. Once aperson learns the symbol for each sound, he or she will more easilyknow how to spell any word in Kriol just the way that personpronounces it. As you will note in the chart below, in the Englishwriting system, sounds are represented in many different ways, andare governed by many rules that must be memorized.Below is a simple summary of some of the sounds of BelizeKriol and the symbols (or combination of symbols) used to representthem in writing. 2 Notes contrasting the English and Kriol symbolsare included. (Example words are in brackets).KriolLetteraSamplewordhataa waataainaifSamplepictureNotesNOTE: The a in Kriol issimilar to the a sound infather in EnglishNOTE: This sound is likethe one above but is drawnout for a longer time.English does not write thissound, but it is necessary inKriol.NOTE: This ‘long i’ soundcan be written in English asai [aisle], i [icon], ie [lie],igh [sigh], y [why], or iCe[bite] – note that ‘silentletters, such as ‘silent e’,are not used in Kriol.2 For a complete explanation of the Kriol writing system, see You can readand write Kriol, Belize Kriol Project 2005. For linguistic charts of thesound-symbol correlation and a detailed discussion of the sound system, seeThe Song of Kriol: A Grammar…, Decker 2005.10