"A GULLAH ALPHABET"
Clary, M., & Brown, D. (2007). A Gullah alphabet. Orangeburg, SC: Sandlapper Pub.
Readability Lexile: None available
Target Audience: Anyone interested in the history of the many dialects spoken in the U.S.
Setting: South Carolina
Theme: Historical Language learning
Characters: The Gullah
Summary: The Gullah
Alphabet was written and dedicated to the late Joe Middleton, a storyteller. The Gullah language spoken in South Carolina extends from
Georgetown onto the Sea Islands of Charleston and Beaufort and down to Hilton
Head. It is said that the language originated around 1700 among the Africans
who were brought to America to work on southern plantations as laborers in rice
production.
The
Gullah has been spoken over many generations. Preserving this beautiful and
melodious language has been difficult. The American Bible Society made a
notable effort to translate the Gospel of Luke into contemporary Gullah. Before
her death, Gullah storyteller Tita Heins was assisting Wycliffe Publishers in
translating the Bible. De Nyew testament was published in 2005.
The Gullah Alphabet is written to introduce children and adults to the beauty of the Gullah Language. It is a fun and interesting reading that brings understanding to the many dialects spoken across the south. While reading the book, you will feel as though you are learning not just about a language, but a people group as well. Because of the historical value of the book, it meets the requirements of high quality literature set forth by Norton (2011)
Tita was my aunt. I’m her sister Gene’s grandson. Do you know where I can find out more about her? I used to have my own personal copy of Aunt Tita’s Gullah Stories because she was literally my aunt, lol, and just handed it to me one day when she came to visit. She and her sister were women’s rights workers during the Depression. I have a photo of them sitting together during one of the last visits I saw her. Tita seemed stern to most people, I think, but she used to call me over and tell me stories and was extremely kind to me. Is there someone who I might be able to correspond with?
ReplyDelete