Tantie Talk
Well, well, well...is like I did open up Pandora's Cultural and Linguistic Box
las' week, allyuh did real play yuhself wid de backchat! I ent go add
much to de comments, but as some specific questions did get arks, I go try an'
answer dem.
I dunno about de pass rates in French an' Spanish as compared to English, so I could
only guesstimate dat it ent go be too far off...in fact I ent so sure
dat de 50% pass rate everybody talking 'bout doh apply to de exams as a whole! As
fuh de idea dat de rate only reach 50% because is de 'prestige' schools dat bring it
up, I ent so sure 'bout dat at all, I waiting till I see de figures...now dat go
be real bacchanal if de figures prove dat de 50% rate is a true, true across de
board figure an' prestige or not all de schools in T&T jes didn' do de job well. Not
dat I agree wid what dey feel de job is, dem (especially de 'prestige' schools) feel
dey wuk is to teach chirren to pass exams...well dey damn lie, because dey suppose
to be helping de chirren to LEARN, to get an EDUCATION dat go prepare dem for life,
an' not jes SCHOOLING dem in de methodology of passing exams.
An' if yuh feel I ent know what I talking 'bout, go back an read "TODAY'S INSIGHT",
a quote from one of de finest minds de world has ever known - Samuel
Langhorn Clemens, whose books we all know and love because of de way he did bring his
characters to life through his 'recordings' of their language and culture.
:+:+:+:+:+:+:+::+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:
BACKCHAT: Issue 33
well tantie, ya mus explain ta meh what de propa english does be ? I
enjoy who I am, a true blood trini and I am literate and educated and yet know
whey meh roots does come from.
//Trinidad
Your discourse on our use of "Trinidadian" was very interesting. Assuming that
you are correct in your view that English is like a foreign language to
Trinidadians, I wonder how the pass rates for Spanish and French compared with the 50%
rate for English amongst this year's CXC students. That might be interesting to
find out. Are you in a position to do that? I heard another interesting
discussion on Radio 104 yesterday afternoon in which the announcer reminded us that the 50%
was only an average which suggests that in the "prestige" schools the pass rate
would probably be higher which implies an even lower pass rate in the "others"! By the
way, what do you propose as a solution to this problem, based on your hypothesis? Keep
up the good work,
//Hotmail user
Thanks for the information on events. I read a reader's comment on
using local dialect in your newsletter. I believe there is a time and place for everything. Just as one's
home is a sanctuary when it is filed with what is familiar (and there is
love, understanding and harmony), including local words and phrases in a
local newsletter seems appropriate to me, and brings some measure of warmth. With
appreciation.
//Trinidad
This is for the "pigeon"/pidgin english body whose sensibilities are
somewhat offended by your writing in our IDIOMATIC language. Tell that body to 'haul their
bam-bam! You see those words like tot-tots, nen-nen, and so on came to these shores with
the African diaspora. The fusion of languages in Trinidad is much richer for the
diverse contributions of its past inhabitants. Writing language as it sounds is
also acceptable scholarship, just visit any decent library and enjoy the works of other
authors. Now despite the fact that my Ma, my Pa; and all my kin in the house rambled
on all day in Patois and trini dialect, I have always scored in the 90s in examination
English, both at home and abroad. Note that this is not an unusual performance. I know
may islanders across the Caribbean who have consistently done the same. So that
canard of our children's inability to write English at CXC standard is out of the
window. Now, will the 'pigeon' promise to find a copy of The Best of Damon Runyon (a New York
newspaperman) and read it with gusto before he/she replies. Keep writing mi home
language, so that I can have a good laugh on a day like this when 30 degrees
Centigrade and a high humidex forces me to spend the day in the basement. Ayo! Anda! Vamonos! Moi ca allay!
//Hotmail user
What's with all these people and their dissing the "heehee..."pigeon"
(pidgin) english ... dont they realize what "tongue in cheek" means...lighten up
people...dont take yourselves too seriously ....life is too short and we humans on this ball of
congealed mud called earth, zooming through space are mere specks of dust in the annals of
geologic time..... we really dont matter .....even though we should strive to...but learn
to laugh at yourselves ....the romans did not and look where they are ....so smile
and say God bless ...soon we too shall be page notes in the history books. To the "trini
in canada" ... sorry friend for what comes next ....but I did get a kick for your
patronizing tones of the First Nations problem here in Canada ...has he/she ever lived on
reserve? Does he/she even know what the treaties promised?....all of us who live in Canada
..immigrants included ...are not trying to help the First Nations, they helped us by allowing
the first immigrants to share this land...so we owe them a "huge rent", legally
binding too, and whatever they "get" from the "collective white man" is their due...the
"rent" so to speak for them allowing us to share this land ..but what did the "white man"
do?.....he/we screwed them.....and he/we still continue to ......so why should they
not "be lazy and self indulgent"....u have to walk a mile in their shoes to know what they
have suffered and continue to suffer....i have worked with them...spent much time on
reserve ..so know what I speak of.
//Canada
Hi dey tantie, whappen,....here nah ah like how u mess up that trini in
hotlanta,,,bu u no whey ah really write u 4, is about dat trini in Toronto,whey talking
bout the natives, of Canada.....dat trini doh no how hard these ppl had it an still having it
to survive in this society we have up here...tell dat trini these ppl land were taken
away from them 100%, given the bottle as a antidote, raped, abused and still is, put on
reservations, still r, tell dat trini not every native dat he or she sees walking the street
represents all natives, tell dat trini what he c's is another sick deprived native, dat
needs help...tell dat trini he or she must travel Canada, go to western canada an c how
natives, own and operate hotels, gas an oil business,etc, etc.... tell dat trini, he or
she must learn more an doh b illiterate.....tanti i is a real trini, living in Canada.
//Canada
Trini talk has always been a source of entertainment to me. My mother
was born and raised in the Port of Spain vicinity to a well known family. My father working
as a meteorologist in the U.S. Navy met my mom working in a downtown Port of Spain bank and
they hit it off. After leaving the Navy my father went back to Trinidad and married my
mother there. My mom made many adjustments to American life but always held her Trinidadian
upbringing to heart and projected that aspect of her life to myself and my two siblings.
Her youngest sister moved from Trinidad to our home some 14 years later and has since
married and had two beautiful children. Trini talk is perhaps a second language to me, but
I love when it kicks in during family reunions or when other Trinis are talking amongst
themselves and don't think anyone else translates. Beside the talk, where can I get a good
beef Roti, or a flavorful pastel, but moreover, I need a good source for some great
searing homemade pepper sauce!
//Boston, USA
Ah keeping dat explanation fadder for anyone brave enough to aks
sh*t like dat
//Trinidad
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Michael
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Michael Baker's CD 2002 "one Aspiration" available.
Call 868-639-8243(home) ... 868-681-9717(mobile)
EMAIL: mbaker@visittobago.gov.tt
Daneil Trace Carnbee,
Tobago W.I. |
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