Show notes
Michael Rosen talks to linguist Teddy Mack about Vincy, a language rooted in English spoken on the Caribbean island of St Vincent, alongside standard English. But the English Teddy encountered when he moved to the UK proved to be very different (and far from standardised) and he's learned to switch throughout his life. Produced for BBC Audio Bristol by Beth O'Dea, in partnership with the Open University.
Highlighted moments
I remember distinctly that at one point the voice that I spoke with out loud didn't match the voice in my head.
“they were doing retentions and innovations that in actual fact enabled them to conceal what they were saying, particularly from overseers or masters”
“you could say something like, you see them pick me de, hold them de de, you know? Which means, do you see those children there? They've been there the whole day.”
“I've often felt sort of not Vincentian enough for Vincentians and not British enough for Britons and kind of in this liminal space in between.”
Transcript
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