- Gullah (GULL uh) is an English-based creole consisting of West African languages, English, & English Caribbean vernacular.
- Enslaved West Africans were not allowed to learn English formally. Although they were literate in their native languages, Charlestowne was an English colony; therefore, English was the lingua franca or common language spoken.
- Gullah is an oral language, so whenever it’s written, it’s the author’s interpretation. Gullah is usually written phonetically, but if it’s written in English, the pronunciation & pace provide the language’s rhythm & flow.
- Today, Geechee (GHEE cheah) refers to African American natives of the four-state area described below.
- Gullah Geechee is a term popularly used today to describe the language, people, traditions & lifeways like foodways, Spiritual customs, occupational & household practices & settlement patterns, for example, that have been passed down through the generations throughout the southeast US coast. Read more.
- The Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor (GGCHC) was designated by Congress in 2006, & the Corridor was then designated as a National Heritage Area (NHA). The corridor extends from southern coastal NC through coastal SC & GA into north coastal FL & St.Augustine, then extends inland about thirty miles. Read more at: http://www.gullahgeecheecorridor.org/?Itemid=102 & http://www.nps.gov/heritageareas/FAQ/.