Paramin Village Photo: Edison Boodoosingh
Patois, Sa Sa Ye?
by Paul Hadden
A
t first glance, Trinidad and Tobago may appear to be a monolingual country. English is our official language after all, and it is
a language which all Trinis are capable of fluently speaking and understanding. Yet, if you dig a bit beneath the surface, you will find that there is more to our linguistic situation than first meets the eye. If you head out of the bustling city of Port of Spain, full of Trinis chatting away in an English peppered with our colourful local dialect, and journey up to the village of Paramin, nestled high in the stunningly beautiful hills of the Northern Range, you will find people communicating in a very surprising way. Here, in this close-knit, charming village, you are likely come across Trinis speaking not only English, but the mellifluous local French creole language known as “Patois”. It is a language originally brought to these shores in the late 17th century, and one which has played a key role in shaping the cultural and linguistic history of Trinidad.
Patwa, sa sa yé? – Patois, what is that?
Patois is a language that was formed out of contact between the enslaved Africans, speaking various West African languages, and the French speaking plantation owners of the 17th century. Though its beginning was rooted in a time of great suffering, Patois was to grow and develop into a rich, expressive, melodious language and would come to be one of the most culturally influential tongues on the island. Even our beloved Calypso music was originally sung not in English, but in Patois. If you want a taste of Patois’ sweet sound, be sure to check-out some old- time calypsos by the Mighty Sparrow, one of Trinidad’s greatest musical talents. Songs such as “Sa Sa Yea” and “Mangé”, masterfully mix lyrics in both English and Patois. Just be careful if you decide to get a Patois speaker to translate the lyrics for you. Sparrow’s Patois songs are full of what locals like to call rudeness!
Ki moun té ka ‘y? – Who spoke it?
In multilingual colonial Trinidad, it was Patois, and not English, which served as the lingua franca between the many ethnic and linguistic groups on the island. Trinidadian historian and anthropologist Lewis Osborne Inniss once called Patois “the almost universal language,” and one which “no one could get
on without knowing”. It is a language which was once described by local poet Sylvester Devenish as the “sweetest” language that he knew. Sadly, Patois’ use declined tremendously after the Anglicisation policy of governor Charles William Warner in the late 1800s, as he strived to make Trinidad as English as possible. But languages, like people, are resilient things and proof of this can be found in villages such as Paramin, where the language still lives. As the residents of the village will proudly tell you - “Patwa ka viv ankò” – Patois is still alive!
Es ou vlé apwann palé patwa?
So you want to learn to speak some Patois?
Thanks to the efforts of several local linguists, language enthusiasts, and cultural activists, there are now several books, CDs, and online resources available for those who which to learn Patois. Be sure to check out stores such as the Paper Based Bookshop in the Normandie Hotel for various educational Patois books.
Alé annou palé patwa!
- Come on let’s learn Patois!
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FESTIVALS 37