St. Vincent and the Grenadines Dialect

Sheree, MIkey, Sophia and Jenee's interpretation of Vincentian dialect

[@ThomasZBodor]

I loved this! I have a little story. I was born and raised in Canada, and my mom was born and raised in St. Vincent. When I was 15 years old, I went down there for a few weeks to stay with relatives in Park Hill. The first day there, I didn't notice anything peculiar. The only thing that shocked me was the driving (I thought we were gonna fly off of a cliff, and no one would wear a seatbelt except me). But after a day or so, I noticed that when the Vincentians were talking to each other, I couldn't quite understand them! Even my own family members, with me they would talk one way, and then to each other, another way. I was asking myself "Why do they sound so different now?", especially given the fact that I'm very familiar with Caribbean accents as I've been hearing them all my life. Then I noticed everyone was doing it, all the locals in the village. It just seemed so phenomenal! My mother and relatives never once told me that there's a specific creole or a dialect in St. Vincent! I actually felt a bit stupid that I couldn't understand some people, or I felt a bit rude that I would have to ask them to rephrase for me. I remember my aunt telling me, "Oh that's how we talk to each other. It's broken English". It was all news to me!! One man who lived on my aunt's property, he was a rasta man who lived a simple life. He would spend hours hanging out with us and chatting with me and my aunt, and I would constantly have to ask him to repeat himself, or my aunt would have to "translate", in order for me to understand him. Now that I think about it, he didn't have much education, so he probably didn't know how to express himself in standard English. After several weeks, I became more familiar with Vincy Creole and I started to find it almost endearing. I think it's really cool that Caribbean islands have their own creoles, because no where in Canada would you find such distinct dialects of English (to the point where you can't even understand them!).

[@dazd240]

This video got me crying with laughter, bring back memories! Miss vincy bad!

[@BKL63PRODUCTIONS]

I was born in England, parent from St Vincent but I didn’t even realise we had this maybe, I took it for granted.. but I believe it’s a language and we should protect it..

[@rollinwithmymy4012]

Love it.....lits giving me Trini/JA

[@Joshua5654]

As a Jamaican I can say this is a very familiar accent and I understand every word it sounds like a mixture of Jamaican and trinny

[@dougaldalexander8995]

Really happy to hear this. Thanks so very much for the information. I am a born Vincentian living in Jamaica. I wouldn't define our native tongue as broken English that is to say it is derived from English. It can be argued that English is derived from Latin or Greek. English could then defined as broken Latin or Greek. It isn't so described. It is a language. Using a similar argument Vincentian is a language. Vincentians are bi lingual. We Speak Vincentian and English.

[@kaylakerr1925]

I love the way you put it. It's time we see ourselves for who we really are. " gel yah do well me love um, e sound wicked".

[@KaySeminomadic]

So true. There are also influences from other languages and it has its own structure.

[@LeonardStephenGuy]

English is a language from a sources, but I get the point.. I’m born in England both parent from St Vincent, I can’t speak Vincy tongue lol..

[@EthanGold]

I love this, y'all's energy is great and put a smile on my face. What do I know, but I think you could call Vincentian a language, or maybe a dialect, but certainly no need to call it broken English. After all, English itself came from a mixture of mainly West Germanic, plus a lot of Norman French, with some Latin and Nordic and Gaelic elements added along the way. Vincentian similarly has English as a main source but brings together many elements in a new way.

[@Vinci747]

You are so right.

[@StevenBird1]

Great, only I wish the microphone was placed nearer the speakers, to reduce the echo. It's hard to follow the Vincentian Creole

[@TeddyMack]

Hey loved the video 😊 As a vincy boy myself who moved to England when I was small I love everything about my home. But I think we have to stop referring to our language as "broken English". It is reductive of what is our beautiful language and is left over from our colonial past. We have to nurture and protect our language and that's why I'm hoping to do a linguistic study of it as part of my degree

[@Vinci747]

So true. A dialect is a sub classification of a language.

[@janemcwhirter7850]

Teddy you won't remember me but I came to St Vincent in 2003 and stayed at pastor Clarke's church in layou. That is where I met you and your mom, Mandy. Shortly after our stay your sister Blossom🌸 was born. You used to sit with me in Church near the front. I fell in love with you. You were such a precious little boy. I have pictures of you and I together. I found out later that you moved to England. I often have thought of you fondly over the years and wondered how your life turned out. And now I read this comment and can't believe it is my Teddy ❤

[@BlueYellowGreenVc]

THANK YOU!!!

[@haatpraat2993]

1:23 'Eggxamples' ...Love it! Love Vincy people, greetings from a Jamaican.

[@hillieduvalier]

Greeting from Vincy. Isnt it amazing though how we came from Africa yet each island was able to for their own accent and dialect. ??

[@cherimurray4116]

Am soo proud to be a Vincentian

[@tishiliciousdrayton6228]

Awesome video! I am ready to show this video to my students. One thing that confuses us though is that the word 'dialect' is a form of a language, however Vincentian creole is not a form of any language as it isn't really a form of English. Hope that makes sense! Thanks again for making a video of this nature. It's important for us as Vincentians to have more of this as our children are learning Standard English as a second language. They must be taught to love their creole but also see the importance of learning the Standard form of English.

[@AerielFerguson]

Wow this is exactly how Tobago dialect is

[@Dishaugn]

Hey Sheree, check out the work that was done by Wycliffe Bible Translators a few years ago, through the Adult Ed Unit. A recorded CD was done with Bible stories in our Creole along with an accompanying lexicon. We have a creole - a language formed from two languages, rather than a dialect - a variety of a single language; a creole is much more developed with its language patterns etc. Good job with highlighting this element of Vincy culture.

[@KaySeminomadic]

Yes. I heard this before. It was interesting

[@Gelenvader3]

As a Jamaican , I’ve never seen an accent that sounds so close to ours

[@ljarrettvaldo8239]

Antiguans are much closer

[@hoseasylvester2596]

Jamaicans don't tend to notice these things

[@frankiemason8384]

Vincy 24 *7 love 👊

[@danielmax5405]

Real tlk that it is so unique

[@Vinci747]

Our Vincy Language It is not “Broken English.” Neither is it a dialect. It is a language. Called the Vincy language. A dialect is a sub classification of a language. I study languages. I know what I am talking about. If you ask me I would tell you I speak Vincy being my first language, English my second language and French my third language. Vincy is to English like Afrikaans is to Dutch or Portuguese is to Spanish. Stop debasing and lowering the standard of our language. The only difference is that we have not officially standardized our language. It has its own unique grammatical structure and linguistic style. It has its roots in English, French, African and to a lesser extent Garifuna influences. Love speaking Vincy. Long live our language.

[@BlueYellowGreenVc]

A-friggin-MEN

[@vincygamerbrakes201]

nice one

[@LeonardStephenGuy]

I think it another form of English, just like northern England sound so different southern.

[@hillieduvalier]

Studying our dialect is a combination of our motherland Africa, english, some mispronounced ( but we dont care because , we are not english godfather) and it not original language! it also a bit of french, and exaggerated shortened sentences and words .. some sentences are condense into one word also.. big up Vincy dialect lets keep it uniquely Vincy..

[@Candisebivens]

Hello. My bf is looking for his father in St Vincent. Denniston Cox??? Please if you could help us find him. Thx

[@hillieduvalier]

@@Candisebivens will make a search for you

[@hillieduvalier]

This is how is normal marning... whey yo ado? Or whado?.. response is: Mi dey! Now a lot of youn vincy want to copy jamaica failing to realize that our language is just as unique.

[@AppleSamsungllllll]

Cool

[@Justshocka]

🇻🇨❤️

[@treymsg461]

Its basically jamaican with a different sound

[@MarkChance]

Umm...no

[@alieenryan8481]

No

[@hoseasylvester2596]

Pls don't let anyone from the Caribbean that is not from Jamaica hear you say that. They go beat you up

[@MM-gp9mb]

@@hoseasylvester2596 fr

[@aliensaucer6128]

I'm here because of Marlon Roudette

[@denisewest3858]

The back ground music was overpowering, that you could hear people talking, it spoiled the video. 😔

[@Jomonoupapjanmbliyew]

😄 😎

[@danicajm546]

ALL Caribbean Dialect is almost the same, but St, Vincent and the rest of you kinda Speak a different Dialect from each other, but when coming to Broken English, yo can't Beat tha king of Brokin English isza TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO 🇹🇹 Well boi, ar til ya...! 😁❤🇺🇸✡🇹🇹🏝👍🏽

[@corneliusmc.kenzie5267]

Continue to sleep in peace my beloved friend and sister 💕 Fiona Denny Pierre. I mist you beyond words could ever express.

[@DonQ-q3w]

Vincentian accent is a mixture or trini,bajan and jamaican

[@hoseasylvester2596]

Every island is unique

[@MM-gp9mb]

Absolutely not

[@doityourway3857]

It's not the language woman. It's just slang

[@garciasuzan]

It is not broken English. It is a creole language. Know your facts

[@alieenryan8481]

It is broken English.

[@garciasuzan]

@@alieenryan8481 I can see that you have no linguistic knowledge. Lol. Study language before you argue.

[@alieenryan8481]

@@garciasuzan I'm from vincy I would know lol.

[@alieenryan8481]

@@garciasuzan are you from vincy?

[@hoseasylvester2596]

@@alieenryan8481 so why is Jamaican creole considered its own language but the other patois and creoles aren't?

[@yb9396]

Can you please stop playing the music in the background so I can hear what you are saying? Or at least low the noise down all the way. Thanks

[@cressidaaaaa]

Sounds like a bad Jamaican accent mixed with the other Beijing and Trinidad

[@shenglongisback4688]

Funny you call it broken english when english is already broken lol Wat wi speak bruk bruk english. A patwa /patois language with a english base. Others countries like Hawaii and PNG have a pidgin English so I personal wouldn't say the english based creole of the Caribbean nations are broken just different.