Glenda Alicia Leung (Albert-Ludwigs Universität Freiburg)
Within the African diaspora, the ability to engage in verbal play is highly prized. In Trinidad, orality remains a salient cultural artifact which survived the transatlantic crossing. The vibrancy of Trinidadian oral traditions manifests itself both in everyday life and in public cultural fora, such as the annual pre-Lenten carnival. In the public domain, highly ritualised oral performances related to Trinidad Carnival, such as calypso’s notorious double entendre and the on the spot creativity required in extempo, are esteemed. Within the private domain of family and friends, a high value is placed on traditional speech forms such as ole talk, picong, and storytelling.
Forms of mass media are interesting sites where traditional everyday speech forms of ole talk and picong can be transformed and made public. In Trinidad, both Trinidad Creole English (TCE) and an emerging Trinidadian Standard English (TSE) are spoken. In mass media, news is always read in TSE. Interviews are generally conducted in TSE though there may be instances of code switching between standard and creole. There is great variability observed among disc jockey speech. Some operate strictly within the domain of the standard while others code switch frequently.
This case study explores the linguistic behaviour of Trinidadian disc jockeys who, apart from speaking their native TSE and TCE, use non-native varieties, namely Jamaican Creole English (JCE) and African American English (AAE), when on air. Use of these non-native varieties are domain specific: they are employed in instances of verbal play. Verbal play is not restricted to in-studio DJs. Some callers also partake in it, using JCE and AAE as well. In short, DJs and callers innovatively use non-native linguistic varieties available to them via the African diaspora to perform a range of verbal plays that are highly prized within Trinidadian culture.
Forms of mass media are interesting sites where traditional everyday speech forms of ole talk and picong can be transformed and made public. In Trinidad, both Trinidad Creole English (TCE) and an emerging Trinidadian Standard English (TSE) are spoken. In mass media, news is always read in TSE. Interviews are generally conducted in TSE though there may be instances of code switching between standard and creole. There is great variability observed among disc jockey speech. Some operate strictly within the domain of the standard while others code switch frequently.
This case study explores the linguistic behaviour of Trinidadian disc jockeys who, apart from speaking their native TSE and TCE, use non-native varieties, namely Jamaican Creole English (JCE) and African American English (AAE), when on air. Use of these non-native varieties are domain specific: they are employed in instances of verbal play. Verbal play is not restricted to in-studio DJs. Some callers also partake in it, using JCE and AAE as well. In short, DJs and callers innovatively use non-native linguistic varieties available to them via the African diaspora to perform a range of verbal plays that are highly prized within Trinidadian culture.
