New Testament the Negro Tongue (also called talkee-talkee), 1829 Article on a Missionary Translation of the Bible into Suriname Creole
- 1829
1829. [African American][Religion][Carribean] New Testament in the Negro Tongue. In The Eclectic Review, Vol. XLIII, No. LXXXVI. London: 1829. Excerpt: pp. 553-564. Disbound, 12pp. A rare excerpt reviewing a missionaries' translation of the New Testament into "Negro-English" (also called talkee-talkee), the Creole language spoken by enslaved and free Black populations in Demerara and Surinam. The British and Foreign Bible Society issued the translation in 1829 for missionary use, representing one of the earliest attempts to render the Christian scriptures into an Afro-diasporic Creole tongue of the Caribbean basin. This review in The Eclectic Review (a leading 19th-century dissenting religious periodical) gives a lengthy discussion of the translation, providing contemporary reactions that ranged from grudging acknowledgment to outright racist dismissal.
The review juxtaposes biblical passages rendered into Creole with commentary, often mocking the "mixed speech" as "ridiculously, offensively, and incurably base." Yet, despite its dismissive tone, the piece captures critical evidence of how missionaries and colonial observers grappled with African- and Creole-derived linguistic traditions, including debates over whether vernacular scripture empowered conversion or threatened white control. The review references Moravian missionary John Latrobe's efforts in Suriname, as well as comparisons to African, Dutch, and Portuguese linguistic influences. Particularly striking are verbatim transcriptions of gospel passages in Creole, offering researchers a rare contemporaneous witness to early printed Afro-Caribbean language. Light toning, disbound with clean margins preserved; pages complete and supple. A rare document of the intersection of race, religion, and language in the British Caribbean, revealing both the efforts made by missionaries to connect through Creole scripture and the entrenched racism of the colonial intellectual establishment.
The review juxtaposes biblical passages rendered into Creole with commentary, often mocking the "mixed speech" as "ridiculously, offensively, and incurably base." Yet, despite its dismissive tone, the piece captures critical evidence of how missionaries and colonial observers grappled with African- and Creole-derived linguistic traditions, including debates over whether vernacular scripture empowered conversion or threatened white control. The review references Moravian missionary John Latrobe's efforts in Suriname, as well as comparisons to African, Dutch, and Portuguese linguistic influences. Particularly striking are verbatim transcriptions of gospel passages in Creole, offering researchers a rare contemporaneous witness to early printed Afro-Caribbean language. Light toning, disbound with clean margins preserved; pages complete and supple. A rare document of the intersection of race, religion, and language in the British Caribbean, revealing both the efforts made by missionaries to connect through Creole scripture and the entrenched racism of the colonial intellectual establishment.
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Title
New Testament the Negro Tongue (also called talkee-talkee), 1829 Article on a Missionary Translation of the Bible into Suriname Creole
Author
New Testament in the Negro Tongue
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Unknown
Date
1829