Libya is originally from Barbados but four decades have done little to soften her Bajan accent, a patois so dense that at times it is all but indecipherable, at least for some of us.
Review of the play Cast Iron in Today's Toronto Star
Wasnt going to blog today but this item caught my eye in Todays newspaper. Boy I hope them fellas at the Star never have to review my blog. lol
Anyway, I guess I can see both sides of the story here in a sense. The average North American is hard pressed to understand caribbean accents. Wha I doan unerstan wha suh hard bout dat doah. :-) Anyway its a catch 22 here I guess. To preserve the autenticity of the play, the author did it in bajan but some of those watching wont understand it. I guess they were hoping for an accent but no patois. dem cud car dem tails den! Hmmm maybe she will have to put out a dvd with subtitles.
Seriously though the accent with proper english works at times but at other times it naa mek it. some things just have to be said in the dialect to get the full meaning. I lie?
So I guess I'm wondering do you guys understand my bajan in this blog? Not dat I gine change fa nun a wunnah ya kno! Let muh tell all wunnah from now den, wunnah wud got ta learn or put up wunnah hands an ask questions if wunnah doan unerstan. eitha dat or wunnah cud sit down an nod wunnah heads like wunnah kno wha i talkin bout. wunnah think i mekkin mock sport? chupse! :-)
an if wunnah aint figure out wha wunnah mean by now then I cann help nun a wunnah :-)
Ha ha ha, have a good day folks.
12 comments:
"I'm wondering do you guys understand my bajan in this blog? Not dat I gine change fa nun a wunnah ya kno!" LOL, Jdid! Yu did sound so concerned inna de first part! Most understan'; who don't will get used to it--everyone does understan' eventually, yu know--then some pretend that them don't, soh them can catch yu off-guard.
Min' man haffi buss up shat pon oonu yuh nuh.:-)
The dialects are not that different. You guys place emphasis on different words and places in some words but it's not too hard for me. I guess it's easier for another Caribbean national to link the various dialects than for somebody who don't really have a basic background from their own culture.
didy your bajan sounds very similar to the broken english we speak where I'm from. we say "una" (or a something similar) to mean "you people".
so in summary "I dey (do/are) unerstan everything wey you dey talk" ;)
yo! put up your atom feed so i can syndicate your blog. pressure lol. peace.
Jdid..you only being understood cos you writing and not speaking:)
I agree with Abeni. . . I probably only understand because I'm reading it. . .lol
Took me a while fe me undastan de wunnah....but as u seh, it nuh too hard fe people from odda Caribbean islands read you still. Strangely, nuff Jamaican that me know seh dem find it hard fe read Jamaican patois.
Thing is that Caribbean accents are indeed quite distinct, especially the Bajan and Trini. The Jamdown accent nuh so 'hard' and is easily confused with the Antiguan. Bahamian sound kinda slightly 'Merican. Belize now....you ever hear people can taaalk bad? Check dem...but dem well cool still! Dr. D.
hell naw i don't understand that shit.
@melody - ha ha ha, well I wasnt really that concerned, I think I dont excessively use dialect here
@scratchie - yep I think its easier for other caribbean folks to understand each other
@obi - yep I think wunnah and the jamaican unna are from that root word. oh will also look into the atom stuff
@abeni - chupse, i aint minding you, you know ya duz practice you bajan accent evachange you get , lol
@shana - I think you;d get the gest of it on hearing it too
@D D- true about the bajan and trini accents being far from the rest. wonder why that it. remember the first time i heard bahamian , i was like boy them soun like a bunch a jamaicans.
@summer - dont worry i'll keep it to a min just for you
@Big N - hey welcome guy, I think it depends on if you're accustomed hearing it our not. probably sounds as strange as it looks to non caribbean folk
but wait skippa yuh get very much comments suh early dis mornin, how things. Well ah hope duh onstand muh bajan too, cause dem gine gotta be much more people puttin up dem hands. But if we cud on'stand Scratchie and de Dr. and Ms piggy, but why dem can't undstan we... chuuppsseee den. Tell de fella from Toronto Strar tuh carh he tail and doan ley me gotta call Eric Lewis or Lickmout Lou fuh he. Yuh ein tell nuh lie, syuh just gotta sey sumthing in pure raw bajan, Trini or Yardee dialect.
i 'preciate that.
Hear wah, is pear dialek a gwaan fram dis!
I-an-I undastan di I, yuh zimi? I 'ope di I ah undastan whe I a say!
Anywayz, a one good post dis still, Iyah. Bless up.
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I was sure this would be a nice way to introduce myself!
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