#AM99 Lyf Today - Do Vincentians Embrace Their Own Dialect?

Added: 2026-05-15

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[00:00:19]All righty dance center and the Grenadines. We got 15 minutes on to 8:00. It's now time for today live today with his commentary. Good morning to you live.

[00:00:30]>> Hey, morning everybody. Morning Mara.

[00:00:34]Morning listeners of your >> um this this morning I want to move away from um from the Grant Cons and the commission of police and the IMF reports and the IMF reports and all this thing right. I was reading an article written by Val Matias on one news, right? It says students face challenges switching from Creole to standard English, right?

[00:01:03]So the just the article is basically teachers at the Thomas Sanders Secondary School say some students are facing difficulties transitioning from Vincension Creole to standard English during formal communication exercises.

[00:01:19]Why that is a problem I don't know. The issue emerged during a prefect application and interview initiative organized for fourth form students.

[00:01:29]According to the school's Thomas Sanders secondary school speaks newsletter. The exercise stimulated the rare job application process and required students to complete formal letters of application before advancing to panel interviews conducted by teachers. While the initiative was praised for helping students develop workplace readiness and professional communication skills, teachers observed that several students struggled to code switch from Vincent CER to standard English during interviews. Again, why that is a problem, I don't know.

[00:02:01]The newsletter also noted that some students experienced anxiety during the interview process and found it difficult to provide detailed responses under pressure. Normal educators said the exercise provided important insight into areas where students may need to need additional support as they prepare for professional academic environments as it should. The school's language department said it plans to use the observations from the exercise to further strengthen the students communication and interview skills. That is your job. Students participate in the initiative reportedly arrived professionally dressed and eager to take part in the interviews which are conducted by panel included whatever whatever and the school said the program forms. Okay. So that's basically what they say. Now why this is a big problem I do not know.

[00:02:51]Do Americans speak proper English? If some if if somebody asks if Americans speak a proper English, the the answer from a V a typical V session be yes. You know why they going be? Yes, because they speak with an accent and it sound nice or whatever. Americans are among the countries in the world that speak the worst English, right? And I've been saying this for years, right?

[00:03:15]Vincensions need to embrace are we dialect.

[00:03:21]It is something that is represents us. It is part of our culture. It is not anything bad. The way we speak, when we speak bad, what we call what people call bad English, what I like to call our dialect, it's not a bad thing. There there is a Vincension.

[00:03:42]I don't even recall if if the post was a Vincension that did their masters on the Vincension dialect. That was somebody in England. And I was reading an article where they did a masters on our on on the way we speak >> as he really a shaking sh like she like she saw it too. We yeah we did an interview with him um last year um I forget his name but yeah >> what is the problem with we speaking the way we speak um people the only CXC right CXC English a English language in Cxc that is probably that is probably >> like you call somebody name so they calling so we're going to take the V.

[00:04:30]>> Hello. Morning.

[00:04:32]>> Hey.

[00:04:33]>> Um, good morning guys. Um, Ro live. Good morning to you. How you doing?

[00:04:38]>> Hey, morning. Good. Good.

[00:04:40]>> Okay. Good. Good. Um, I I want to chime in here because he mentioned that um I being the the person with who develop who put out the article. Now I think that there's a misunderstanding here and I'm getting this from reading some of the comments.

[00:04:58]The problem is not the acceptance of dialect. The problem is the code switching. Now as a past educator myself in communication studies we part of our curriculum or part of the course was telling students there's nothing wrong with speaking dialect. Embrace it. As you correctly said, it's part of our culture. But the struggle here is the student of individuals being able to code switch when and where. Would you expect or is it expected someone go into an interview and carry out that interview or present themsel in dialect?

[00:05:38]Standard English is the appropriate um code or context one is expected to speak in in a formal setting. Now, if the person is quoting someone or making a quote, it's all right to use dialect.

[00:05:50]But the problem that the teachers, what I'm getting from the the newsletter from Thomas Sanders is that they do not know how to switch between dialect and standard English. That is the issue. The issue here is not accepting or frowning upon dialect. No, it's that's not the issue at all. As he correctly said, it's part of our culture. But the challenge is switching between standard English and dialect. And I think that um what needs to be done now is to come up with a plan as to how to get students to not force them to well they already appreciate the dialect, understand the English, but be able to switch between them in a given um situation, >> right?

[00:06:32]>> Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I I I understand that.

[00:06:37]I don't think it's necessary to be honest. I don't think it's necessary for I don't think it's necessary for survival in the job world.

[00:06:46]I don't think it's necessary for survival in the wider world. I just don't think it's necessary.

[00:06:50]>> Hold on.

[00:06:53]>> May I make a point before I leave, please?

[00:06:57]>> Yeah. Go ahead.

[00:06:58]>> Do you know have you ever heard the saying that sometimes we write the way we speak?

[00:07:05]Yeah, that that was the other point I was just going to make. The only the only time the only time, right, that is a problem is during CXC's English language exam. The other exams the other exams given by CXC, right? And and I'm not and I'm just I'm not just saying this because I want to talk, right? the other exams given by Cxc, the POB, the um the accounts, probably not the English literature, um the the maths, whatever the history, whatever, they accept the dialect, they accept that if you read what is written and it is and it and you can understand it, you can understand what the person is saying, they're supposed to get the mark. So if answer supposed to be um the man is walking in the road and the students right the man are walking the road and the and the person who's marking it could decipher that is what it means they're supposed to be given the mark and >> life life on that point on that point life you're speaking Cxc here you know that the dialect variation differs in different islands >> but that is the thing that is what I'm saying that that's my point exactly because there are certain parts of England that you will go and you won't be able to understand what the people are saying because of the way they're speaking.

[00:08:30]But that's not my that that is not supposed to be my problem that I can't understand that >> but that's mostly based on well that also includes the accent as well. Well, I I I hear what you're saying with that, but it's I think that Val.

[00:08:54]>> Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Thanks.

[00:08:56]>> You know, I mean, >> reporter, hold on. As a reporter, I'm a little bit surprised with you on this, right?

[00:09:03]>> Because let me let me explain why. You are not going to write an article in Creole language in our dialect. Right?

[00:09:12]You as a person, you have mastered subject verb agreement. It's a little different when you are speaking in conversation as opposed to formal writing or even formal speech.

[00:09:24]>> Well, let me tell you something. It I you see you um validating the points that I address some of the things I was going to say. You now address something else I was going to say.

[00:09:35]Um when I a few years ago right when I was walking with William Anthony Koja you know Koja right >> veteran journalist there was an incident in Mount where a yacht was blown up.

[00:09:49]There was some criminal activity and a yacht was blown up and ka had went to the scene and interviewed somebody who saw what happened and the person was speaking in total dialect just dialect.

[00:10:03]Right. So he gave the story the lead, he gave the story the base and then he went on to quote the person in the exact dialect that he did the interview in.

[00:10:14]the story was published and the majority of Vincent understand what was being said cuz it's our dialect right the someone who was close to the paper the time or whatever I don't even think the person was of inension the person went on to rubbish the article because the article had used the dialect >> yeah but in using the dialect that is reported speech and I'm sure it was placed in quotation marks but the rest of the wasn't in dialect >> but person had a problem with any dialect at all being in the article because they probably didn't understand what was being said.

[00:10:51]>> Well, I mean there are persons who are opposed to dialect but what I'm saying is that because those were the direct words of the individual I can understand the dialect being placed there but Kjo Ka in his article the rest of it would have been written in what we call standard English.

[00:11:07]>> Yeah. But but my point is right, you go to Barbados, sometimes you can't even understand what they saying and they speak in proper English. Sometime you go to Jamaica, you go to England, you go to different places and you just can't understand. And these people are not going to change that for nobody.

[00:11:25]They're not ch Yeah, but life hold on them conversations me and you have to deal with a you are not going to expect somebody from I am not expecting a bean to change their accent right I'm not expecting a Jamaican to change their accent but if you are >> dialect >> or their dialect but if you are going to do an interview with somebody and this is what it is the genesis of what you're saying here if you're doing an interview with somebody are you expecting them to do an interview in strictly their dialect whether it's Vincension, Beijan, Jamaica who >> you see you see the thing is right I do not want people >> to differentiate you have to know place and time for when you are going to use standard English and when you're going to use dialect >> I have friends but going to school right I had a lot of friends coming to the coming to the school from country from what we call country Georgetown you know shotty ble and you know you know you know right that the thing to me right the language is so interesting is that people who come from Shat speak the dialect differently than people who come from Georgetown >> right and some of these people very intelligent students could not speak what we consider the proper English and they're very intelligent people >> why is that why is that yes when once you are amongst your friends your family etc if it's not a conversation You have to you can use the dial nobody is saying no to that right but if it is not if it's not a case where it a child is taught early from in the foundational time because to me now anybody trying to address this with children who are of teenage years to me it's already a little late it's not that it can't be done but it's also already a little late >> but that's my point >> that's my point years they have to try to get that information into them when it is appropriate to use the dialect and when it is they need to use the standard English. Listen listen listen why listen we need to listen we need to get rid of these colonial things with proper English and proper English why is it right that one of the requirements for you to get into community college is that you have to have English language why you get a one with maths right you got a one with maths a one with physics a one with chemistry a one with everything else and a say a three a four for the English language Right. And you can't get in because you don't have English. Nobody else in the world doing this. You know, >> because English is still more than just um >> nobody else doing that. You could tell me right with comprehension.

[00:14:12]>> You could tell me right. No. No. People who speak dialect don't lack comprehension skills.

[00:14:17]>> I am not saying that. But you're talking about CX level and remember you have different um there are the different components that you you are graded on. You know that understanding d that's what I'm talking about.

[00:14:30]>> Listen, as I said, I I went to school.

[00:14:33]Yeah. Go ahead.

[00:14:34]>> Question. If if if you are doing a speech, you're not going to change from dialect to standard English.

[00:14:38]>> No, that's me. But some people just can't do it.

[00:14:41]>> But that's the point I'm making.

[00:14:43]>> Not get it in their foundational years.

[00:14:45]>> Exactly. And how can you how can you change how can you change that? That's a culture. That's a culture. How can you change that?

[00:14:53]>> So that is where the problem is. Nobody is saying to do with the dialect completely. I would never agree to that.

[00:14:58]Many times persons like to rate the Jamaican dialect and love to hear when they speak in their pwa. We appreciate our own dialect as well, but you have to know time and place.

[00:15:09]>> There's some people there are some people who just can't do it and it doesn't speak to their intelligence or their capabilities.

[00:15:17]Right. And I don't see why we make it why we making it a big problem >> because it's not a big problem. persons know how to be functional in different areas of life.

[00:15:28]>> There are a lot of things. There are a lot of things. There are a lot of things. Right. Okay. And what about if they can't teach? What about if they just can't get it? Do you just discard them? Well, I'm not going to say disguard them because I mean we see some persons in different positions in different organizations who number one, how many times have persons made fun of of police officers who've written tickets, who police felt toward craft or writing. How many times have persons made fun of those things on social media and ask them did they go to school?

[00:16:00]>> You get you get a ticket though and you know it's nobody could understand what it was saying.

[00:16:08]>> Okay. You get it. You get it and you have it.

[00:16:14]You know what I mean?

[00:16:16]>> No.

[00:16:19]And you have to realize that they're not always these children. Let's let's just focus on the Thomas and students in in this particular um article that >> it's not just Thomas. There's a lot of schools. There's a lot of schools >> because this is for your um thing, right? Not just going to stay here in St. Vincent and the Grenardines. They're going to have to interact with persons.

[00:16:39]Let's say they walk in the hospitality industry. Were they going to talk to the persons in dialect?

[00:16:44]>> Yeah.

[00:16:46]>> Life >> a lot a lot of people a lot of people that a lot of inentions that go overseas has never adopted that. um the countries the countries we are speaking >> to them strictly joking are serious. No, no. There's a lot of there's a lot of people that go overseas and speak the dialect and it's not a problem.

[00:17:05]You know what I mean? What what I'm saying, right? I don't want it to become to a come to a situation where you have five engineers going for an interview, right? And the best one is the one who doesn't have a 100% grasp of the English language and that's the best one. and he doesn't get the job because of the way he sounds. And this is the kind of road we heading down for the longest while >> that because of the way you speak, because of the way you sound that you don't get >> in order to get that engineering degree, he probably writes well, but maybe pronunciation of words is something different. I could probably pass the pronunciation of words, but subject basic subject verb agreement or strictly speaking in dialect, how could that be accepted?

[00:17:52]>> We have to start to accept it. You know why? Cuz it's not going to change. And you know why it's not going to change?

[00:17:57]Because we have apart from apart from these some of these students coming from environments where they have grown up speaking like that. They have went through the infant years into the um the all the childhood years into the adolescent years speaking like this and then they reach into an environment they just it it's not that easy to change and focusing all their attention and trying to change that is just going to be setting them back more. Right. And and what makes it worse, right? What makes it worse, right, is the texting now on the phones where you will be texting someone a young person and sometimes they send a text that is fully understandable to them and their parents and you don't even care, you can't even decipher it.

[00:18:41]So that's added to the problem.

[00:18:43]>> Yeah. But you know what?

[00:18:44]>> So how do we deal with it? How do we deal with it?

[00:18:46]>> So you know what I as a as as a well quote unquote parent used to deal with my with my niece. She knew that when she was messaging me, she had to use full standard English. In the event that she was writing a word incorrectly, spelling a word incorrectly. So, it has to be that one-on-one approach. It has to be from a parent standpoint, even from a teacher standpoint, you have to know how to correct them. Yes, if she's speaking to me, she could use a dialect. But I needed to ensure that she knows how words are supposed to be spelled, how be pronounced. like >> now that you now that you mention >> somebody walking at Sandals Resort and the deal with guests, you think they should speak to them dialect or standard?

[00:19:27]>> Uh well um I to be honest to be honest I get I I think that happens I think that happens. I've gone to Sanders and interactive interactive >> like we introduce goss in every single thing that we say in in Vincy, right? I could understand certain things slipping in but it's not going to be a full conversation in dialect >> because I I I've gone to Sanders and I've been I interacted with foreigners there of in Asia in from Asia and other places who work there and you got to say um excuse me can you repeat that please you know what I mean so what is wrong with a white with a with a Caucasian or a foreigner saying to a Vinci can you repeat that please I've gone to Sanders and done it to people who not from my G.

[00:20:12]>> Yeah. But but when you do that, when you have to repeat it, you speak slowly, right? I have never agreed with persons putting on an accent just so that a British person could understand what you're saying. I do agree with that. But if you speak slowly in your native language, they would understand.

[00:20:28]>> Um final caller. Hello. Good morning.

[00:20:32]>> Hey guys. Um please scream my indulgence. I need to jump back in here.

[00:20:36]Um I want to ask life something. Life, you drink coffee?

[00:20:40]Sometimes. Sometimes. Hardly.

[00:20:43]>> This morning this morning yesterday think the the issue here. I think I may be wrong. You're kind of mixing up the dialect with accent because there are persons who can speak in standard English but the accent gives it a sound as though it is dialect. You understand?

[00:21:08]There are Jamaicans who speak standard English, but they have a Jamaican accent. All right? You have Vincensions.

[00:21:14]One of the things I've came across with my past students, when you tell them to speak standard English, they speak the standard English, but they do not put on the Vincent accent. They put on an American accent.

[00:21:31]>> You understand?

[00:21:32]>> Just for your just for your clarity, I'm not mixing up the two. I'm talking about the hardcore Vidension um dialect. I'm not mixing up the two.

[00:21:45]>> There. So, there is a thing, right? I noticed that.

[00:21:48]>> Why we need to head out of here now? But anyhow, um >> I noticed that there is a thing. So, in in some communities in in Vinc, I noticed it. I think it might be barley.

[00:21:58]But when you comes when it comes to tle words, right, they pronounce it as low, right? A bottl cat low. Right now I have heard this slip into somebody speaking standard English the correct subject verb agreement etc but that slips in. Would I penalize somebody or or look down on somebody for that slipping in? No. Right. Because >> no because the essence of their conversation is something that I can follow. But if you are going in a especially in a job interview where you are going to be speaking strictly dialect right I do have an issue with that >> and once and what you say is what you're going to write which is why the schools are having a problem now.

[00:22:42]Well, I wish I wish all the teachers luck who tried to change that and the ones who frown on it and look down on students for it, they go find out the hard way that that is not no way to change it, right? It's very hard to change and hello with that me tomorrow.

[00:23:06]>> Bye bye.

[00:23:10]Enjoy the rest. I wish we had more time with it, but >> Okay, that's the most engaging I've ever seen. Macaris, >> I think I very vocal this morning. All right.

[00:23:28]>> All right. Bye.

[00:23:29]>> And uh we look forward to hearing from life again tomorrow morning. All right.

[00:23:32]So remember in a few minutes time we are going to bring to you this morning's edition