Gullah is more than an accent or a different way of speaking English. It is a Creole language that developed among African-descended people in the coastal South and reflects influences from English and multiple African languages.
For generations, Gullah helped families and communities communicate, tell stories, share knowledge, worship, laugh, teach children, and pass culture forward.
There were times when Gullah speakers were made to feel that the way they spoke was “wrong” or that they needed to change their speech to be accepted.
But Gullah is not “bad English.” It is an important part of Gullah Geechee cultural heritage.
In 1926, folklorist Robert Winslow Gordon recorded Henry Wylie, a Gullah Geechee community member in coastal Georgia, singing a spiritual called “Come By Here.”
That recording is now preserved by the Library of Congress and is the earliest known recording of the song that later became widely known as “Kumbaya.”
In Wylie's Gullah speech, “here” was pronounced like “yah.” This made “come by here” sound like “come by yah,” which could later be written phonetically as “Kum Ba Yah” or “Kumbaya.”
Other early versions of the song were also documented in the American South. Because of this, researchers cannot say with certainty that the song itself originated with the Gullah Geechee people. The evidence does show, however, that one of the earliest and most important records of the song comes from a Gullah Geechee voice.
a Gullah Geechee voice helped preserve one of its earliest known recordings. 🌾
Gullah is a living language, and the way it is spoken can vary among families and communities throughout the Gullah Geechee Corridor.
Some words may sound familiar. Others may be new to you. Listen closely—you may discover words or expressions that someone in your own family already uses!
Ask a parent, grandparent, great-grandparent, auntie, uncle, or another elder:
“What Gullah words or sayings did you hear growing up?”
“Who did you hear saying them?”
“Do we still use any of those words in our family today?”
Gullah has its own vocabulary, grammar, pronunciation, and expressions. Words and pronunciations can also vary among Gullah Geechee communities and families throughout the Corridor.
Gwine — going
Coota — turtle 🐢
Day clean — dawn or the beginning of daylight 🌅
Tote — to carry
Come by yuh / Come by yah — come by here 🎶
Binyah — a term associated with being “from here” or belonging to the local community. Its meaning and use can vary by community and context.
Put a ✔️ beside a word or phrase you've heard someone in your family or community use.
Who said it?
What did it mean when they used it?
Does your family pronounce or use it differently?