The Gullah people in the southern US have honored their culture for more than 100 years. Living
mainly on the Sea Islands and coastal areas of South Carolina, Georgia and Floride, the Gullah people,
an African-American group, have a rich culture including their own language. It is a Creole language
created by slaves who came to the US from the West Africa in the 1800s. It combines West African
languages with English.
For many years efforts have been made to save the Gullah language. One project began in 1979. Its
goal was to translate the New Testament part of the Bible into Gullah. Experts say that it was a difficult
process because Gullah is not a written language. It is a spoken language only.
A team of Gullah speakers began working on the translation to make the Bible easier to understand
for those who spoke Gullah as their main language. The Gullah version is called De Nyew Testament. It
is written in English on one side of the page, and next to it, there is a Gullah translation. De Nyew
Testament was published by the American Bible Society. The project also received help from the
Summer Institute of Linguistics, Wycliffe Bible Translators, the United Bible Societies and the Penn
Centre .
Experts believe that the translated Bible is a major step towards saving the Gullah language and
traditions. "This is more than a Bible translation," says Robert Hodgson, at the American Bible Society.
"De Nyew Testament raises the Gullah language and culture to a new level." Ardell Greene is a member
of the translation team. She calls the book "a treasure". She says that the Gullah version of the Bible will
be read in churches and will help young people keep the Gullah language alive.
1. According to the passage, De Nyew Testament can be best seen as _______.
A. a good version of the Bible
B. something difficult to understand
C. a spoken form of the Gullah language
D. the effort to save the Gullah language
2. Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?
A. Gullah communities can be found in the southern US.
B. Gullah is influenced by both English and West African languages.
C. De Nyew Testament is a complete Bible translation.
D. Ardell Greene thinks highly of De Nyew Testament.
3. What does this passage mainly focus on?
A. Efforts to save the Gullah language.
B. Different versions of the Bible.
C. The history of the Gullah people.
D. The culture of the Gullah people.
