Fresh Water Yankee Syndrome Trinidad edition

the result of decades of mongrel syndrome

In reply to Jumpstart

Interesting!

From all the things people pick up from foreign influence- mainly American, the one thing that will not hurt is this American accent.

Instead of being alarmed, the author is well advised to leave this alone, and instead put the energy to fight the so many bad foreign habits that are detrimental to health and nation building. Such as American junk food, picking up the worse of American inner city gang culture and music, adopting American holidays and norms such as Halloween and Thanksgiving, British Boxing day holiday, Rome's Whit Monday, mimicking things like "Black Friday, buying American exported produce and vegetables at the expense of local grown produce, copy cat of of other popular American culture such as politicians adopting the examples of the worse American politicians, an example is Kamla Bissessar a shameless and serial violator who picks up the worse of American right wing rhetoric and speech.

If a kid picks up an accent, in Trinidad, from listening to more devices than listening to family and friends and actually interacting at school then that’s a serious indictment of the parents.

People often confuse accents with just speaking well. What we might think of as a "foreign" accent could actually be kids learning to speak more clearly and properly.

In reply to VIX

it is very easy to speak well in a Trinidadian accent....case in point......dr eric williams, ken gordon, prof ken ramchand, Dana Seetahal, CLR James, Errol Seetahal, Ettiene Charles etc..........some people, and unfortunately its an increasing group, believe that holding a diploma or degree has to be accompanied by an english or american accent. total foolishness. Putting on an accent is an exercise in self contempt......nothing more, nothing less. I'm sure americans probably laugh at these very poor, but unfortunately serious attempts at adopting their accent

In reply to Halliwell



Well said. Parents are not parenting - they are using Screen time as their parent which is a disaster.

It is sad to see kids less than 10 years old glued to electronic Tablets and Phones in public because the parents can't interact with them.

In reply to Jumpstart

Jumpy....

The other side...

..... a few kids from the Caribbean resided with us during the summer months and became silent and didn't speak much .
Got them a speech therapist who explained what the problem was?
This was not about a foreign accent but poor communication in English.

In reply to Jumpstart

Many of the younger generation in England have picked up a slight Australian accent,the world is getting smaller,in many ways.

Watching American Television none stop is going to do more damage than that!

In reply to VIX

Huh? What does properly mean in this context? Americans pronounce many English words improperly.
Grammar, don't let me start! Some time ago on a college campus I heard a girl say "Chairs is over there."
On attempting to correct her she proudly and ignorantly proclaimed she knew she is right because she is "An English Major!" Even some of America's most educated Prezis make that basic noun/verb agreement error and pass it off as colloquially regardless of the setting

In reply to Brerzerk

Yeah, because of our 'English' heritage and brainwashing, we are led to believe the Queen's English is best.

In reply to Jumpstart

Alyuh worried about accents now? Fix THE CRIME and MURDERS! Worry about that, homes

In reply to DirtyDan

The Queen’s errrrr subjects, say yous for plural you; same set say ‘I were’ and do some pretty immature rhyming slang and think that’s somehow cool.

In reply to DirtyDan

If you doh see the connection between mongrel syndrome, adoption of alien cultures and crime, then you cannot be helped

In reply to Jumpstart


I guess Colonial influence had nothing to do with that!

In reply to StumpCam

Ettiene Charles was born in 1983, long after independence and republican status was achieved….he wasn’t born in colonial times and he speaks very properly . And here’s what, I’d much rather our citizens take their influence from Shakespeare or Byron, than Snoop Dogg, Dr Dre and a whole bunch of young men who made their millions and billions glorifying gangsterism and drug use….and unfortunately their poison was disseminated internationally

is the teenage Tits' new accent delivered in a highpitched voice?

In reply to sudden
Cockney Pidgin is still the official language of Barbados?

In reply to Jumpstart

yeah ...delivered in a manly voice even by our PM

In reply to sudden

Take win