The official language of Barbados

The island's official language is English. After designating Barbados as a protectorate in the 17th century, British colonizers introduced the language. The island's ongoing British influence until the twentieth century resulted in Anglicization and the adoption of English conventions, including languages. English is currently the island's most widely spoken native language. As a written and spoken language, English is utilized in legal concerns, business, and education, as well as in the media and public service. The use of English in formal circumstances on the island requires conformity to normal British English rules and customs. Although English is the official language, the Bajan dialect is more generally spoken among the islanders.

Barbadians speak Bajan, an English-based creole language, in casual contexts. Bajan is regarded as a native language by the islanders and is an important element of their culture. African slaves who did not want their owners to understand them developed the language as a covert form of communication. Bajan is mostly a spoken language that lacks a regular alphabet or dialect. The language differs from other Caribbean creole languages in pronunciation and verb construction from Standard English. Broken English words, truncated words, and two or more words running into each other are all possible in the language.