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1. Introduction: A brief review of the English within the country.

Antigua and Barbuda a country consisting of a group of islands in the Caribbean (= a sea
between North and South America) Antigua & Barbuda is a Caribbean island of unique
beauty, with its white-sand beaches, lush tropical vegetation, and rich cultural heritage.
This nation has a population of around 97,929. (Ninety seven thousand, nine hundred
twenty nine) Antigua was originally called Wadadli by Arawaks, the originally people who
inhabited the island, with the Carib. Then the island of Wadadli was explored by
Christopher Columbus in 1493 and named for the Church of Santa María La Antigua, until
the 17th century when British colonizers arrived. By the way, Antigua is Spanish for
"ancient" and Barbuda is Spanish for "bearded". When British colonizers arrived the
pronunciation changed from Antigua to Antigua. Antigua was colonized by Britain in 1632;
Barbuda island was first colonized in 1678. When Antigua and Barbuda gained its
independence in 1981, it remained part of the Commonwealth of Nations and English
remained its official language. Now, English is the sole official language of this country.
2. English status within the chosen country.
With the arrival of Britain in 1632 came the colonized period, and English became the
language of government, business, and education.
Speakers may choose to only speak in a creole variant, or may switch between creole and
Standard English mid-sentence. The use of Standard English is typically related to the
socioeconomic status of the speaker. Those individuals of higher socioeconomic
backgrounds have likely been educated in the formal school system and are more familiar
with the grammar of the English language. Linguists believe Leeward Caribbean Creole
first developed when African slaves attempted to imitate the language of their owners.
Today, speakers may use words from British or American English in everyday
communication. Additionally, with the increase of immigrants, this creole language is
slowly being influenced by many other languages like-, Guyanese Creole, Trinidadian
Creole, Jamaican Creole, and Bajan Creole.
3. Characteristic of the English spoken within the chosen country.
British vocabulary widely influenced Antiguan vocabulary, due to centuries of association
with Great Britain. Examples:
 Car park instead of parking lot.
 Form is used instead of the American grade in relation to secondary school levels.
 Mongrel is used instead of the US mutt.
 Biscuit is used instead of the US cookie.
However, in other cases the American form prevails over the British one, due to the islands' close
proximity to the United States:

 Apartment is used instead of the British flat.

  Elevator instead of the British lift.
 parking lot instead of car park.

English is the official language although many locals speak Antiguan Creole.

The Barbudan accent is slightly different to the Antiguan.

Another characteristic is that in all schools, during class hours, it is required of students to
speak Standard English. And as we have seen before the use of Standard English is typically related
to the socioeconomic status of the person, and persons that have likely been educated in the
formal school system and are more familiar with the grammar of the English language.