• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Cubicle Throwdown

tales of a serial expat

  • Home
  • About Rika
  • Roatan FAQ
  • Japan/JET FAQ
  • Advertising
  • Press

Stop Calling it a Jamaican Accent (Dear Islanders: I’m Sorry)

September 23, 2016 by Rika 2 Comments

My diver is yelling at me.


“Rika! Rika! He has such a strong Jamaican accent, I can’t understand what he’s saying! Rika, what did he say to me?”

I instantly cringe and throw profuse apologies with my eyes at my boat captain, who lets out a weary sigh, rolls his eyes, giggles, and continues helping my diver with his gear. This is his daily life on an island full of people who just don’t understand.

it was not any of these divers 🙂

I heard things like this every day on Roatan.

Gringos insisting on speaking terrible, broken Spanish to islanders who assure them that their first language is in fact, an English-based creole, that they prefer to speak English, and that their Spanish isn’t too bueno either.

Tourists who talk behind islanders’ backs about their ‘bad English’ and laugh at the way they write English.

Visitors who think it’s hilarious to say “yeah, mon” and talk about Bob Marley in every sentence when talking to the islanders.

Y’all need to fucking STOP. Stop it.

Here is your short and sweet lesson. Roatan is home to a mix of races and languages. The majority of born and bred islanders are people of color and people of mixed descent who speak Bay Island Creole (an English-based creole) as a FIRST LANGUAGE. They learn Spanish in school.  It’s not a fucking “Jamaican accent”. Bay Island Creole is a real, separate, valid language with it’s own vocabulary and grammar. It’s not English, though since it’s an English-based creole it is easier for English speakers to understand them, and for them to understand English speakers. Due to the tourist nature of their island, islanders can speak English, though they speak with an accent – it’s a Bay Island Creole accent, same as when French people speak English they speak it with a French accent. And in creole or English, no one says “yeah, mon”….since Roatan isn’t Jamaica and Roataneans don’t speak Jamaican Patois. They are two completely different, separate languages.

funny roatanean island english memes from oceane

When someone says they speak English, please honor their preference. Unless Spanish is your first language, you don’t need to talk to English-speakers in it. If you want to practice your Spanish, Roatan is home to many people of Spanish-speaking descent and upbringing due to the influx of mainlanders coming to the island looking for work. You can easily find someone who speaks Spanish as a first language and they’ll probably be happy to practice with you. If you want to learn some island English, ASK! Islanders are happy to share their language. If you need a conversation starter, ask them what ‘enah’ or “ya done know” means, or get them to teach you the right accent and cadence for saying the ubiquitous ‘wa going on’!

Visitors to Roatan (and actually, any tourist-based destination) need to keep in mind that the locals are not stupid. They know their salary is coming from you. They will often hide their displeasure or uncomfortable feelings because they are at work and feeding their kids depends on their customer service to you. But that doesn’t give tourists a free reign to be ignorant jerks.

Please be a responsible visitor and educate yourself before, during and after your trip. That makes you a traveler and not a tourist. Tourist is a dirty word in these locations. Be a traveler!

Aaaaaaaaaaaaand that’s your Roatan public service announcement for the day!



Guys, make sure to follow me on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter … there’s lots of extras posted there that don’t make it onto the blog. I also have Google+ if anyone even uses that? And I’m on Bloglovin’, so you can follow me there too! Plus it makes me try to post more than once a month. So there’s that.

Share this:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)

Related

Filed Under: Expat Living, Island Living, Life, Real Talk, Roatan Tagged With: Culture Shock, Musings, Public Service Announcement

Previous Post: « The JET Programme: From Arrival to Tokyo Orientation
Next Post: Apps to Help You Save Time »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Colleen Brynn says

    October 21, 2016 at 2:22 am

    Eep, yes cringe-worthy! I like to think this stands for anywhere you go… with regards to how one treats locals. Respect, always!

    Reply
    • Rika - Cubicle Throwdown says

      October 21, 2016 at 3:11 pm

      Amen! Respect!

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

  • Bloglovin
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

i’m rika!

hiya! i'm a canadian paralegal-turned-scuba diving instructor-turned EFL teacher-turned digital nomad. i left my cubicle in 2012 and haven't looked back since. i'm a serial expat, but right now i'm back in canada on hiatus for a while. welcome to the place where i say things.

Follow me on Facebook!

Follow me on Facebook!

never miss a post

subscribe by email!

Disclosure: this site contains affiliate links. If they are used, you will receive either a discount or no extra cost to you on your purchase. I may receive compensation from your purchase. This site is not free to run, so thank you for supporting Cubicle Throwdown! 

TourRadar
Airbnb Referral
Booking.com Referral
TokyoTreat

treasure hunt

go back and read ALL THE THINGS!

  • [+] 2019
    • September
    • June
    • February
    • January
  • [+] 2018
    • December
    • October
    • September
    • August
    • July
    • June
    • May
    • April
    • February
    • January
  • [+] 2017
    • December
    • November
    • September
    • August
    • July
    • May
    • April
    • March
    • February
    • January
  • [+] 2016
    • December
    • November
    • October
    • September
    • August
    • July
    • June
    • May
    • April
    • March
    • January
  • [+] 2015
    • December
    • November
    • October
    • September
    • August
    • June
    • May
    • April
    • March
    • January
  • [+] 2014
    • December
    • November
    • October
    • September
    • August
    • July
    • June
    • May
    • April
    • March
    • February
    • January
  • [+] 2013
    • December
    • November
    • October
    • September
    • August
    • July
    • June
    • May
    • April
    • March
    • February
    • January
  • [+] 2012
    • December
    • November
    • October
    • September
    • August
    • July
    • June
    • May
    • April
    • March
Privacy Policy
Cubicle Throwdown Logo

Cubicle Throwdown © 2012 - 2023 · All Rights Reserved