Learning a new Dialect

When I found out I would be serving a mission in a foreign country but still speaking English, I couldn't believe my good fortune. I took a Spanish class in high school and it pretty much convinced me that I was meant to only speak English. After I landed on St. Vincent, I quickly found out that learning a new dialect would be challenging. The people of St. Vincent (see flag above) were mostly friendly, but for several weeks I couldn't understand a word most of them said.

I did a lot of nodding and smiling in those early days of my mission. I remember vividly one experience where a nod and a smile and a yes were just not enough. My missionary companion and I had been invited into a family's home and my companion and the family were asking and answering each other questions in an attempt to become acquainted.

I was listening and only understanding half of the conversation when the head of the household turned to me and made a comment. I smiled, nodded my head and said yes. I knew I was in trouble when he repeated the question, but since I didn't understand a word he had said, I gave the same weak answer.

There was a long pause. I just kept smiling and nodding, which, strangely, just added to my uncomfortable situation. I was dumbfounded and didn't know what else to do. My companion finally ended the awkward moment when he turned to me and said, "He wants to know where you are from."

I gave the gentleman an appropriate answer and he took it easy on me the rest of our visit. I didn't pick up on the dialect immediately, but my prayers became more focused and I eventually could understand and be understood by people on the island.

By the time I left the West Indies two years later, I could distinguish between island dialects. Bajans speak differently than Grenadians who speak differently than Trinidadians who speak differently than Antiguans who speak differently than Vincentians. I could even tell when somebody was from Jamaica, a place I had never been but where people speak with a very distinct dialect.

Below are a few examples of why learning a new dialect can trip up a well intentioned person:

In America we say "how old are you?" but in the Caribbean they say "how many years you have?"

In American we say "I'm going to throw a rock at you" but in the Caribbean they say "I'm going to pelt you with a stone." (Kind of funny I would know this one. Sometimes being a missionary has its challenges.)

In America we say "little" but in Grenada they say "likkle," but it's spelled l-i-t-t-l-e.

There are a thousand other words and phrases unique to that region, which have faded from my memory. I know, however, that if I ever go back, it will just take a likkle bit of time for me to get back into the swing of things.