What is a...

You're in for a treat, Ice Water! I've been here for over 3 years and I still learn new vocabulary on a daily basis.
This website/book are very helpful

If you click on the letters on the top of the page, it will list some new "terms" 😀

Jump up - Definition: "noun or verb; dance or tramp. Jump up! Shake yo soul case!"
Source: Page 75, A Brief Description and Dictionary of the Language Used in the Virgin Islands.

The local terms are infinite, good luck!
Noah

A Jump Up on STX is basically a street party

I've gone through the dictionary provided. Thanks btw. All I can say is wow! It is going to be an adventure, especially as I've had formal training to remove any accent, and have proper pronunciation... It is a mind set that I'm already convinced it will be fun to try. 🙂 Hopefully I don't put myself in a precarious position with my attempts though! :/

I've gone through the dictionary provided. Thanks btw. All I can say is wow! It is going to be an adventure, especially as I've had formal training to remove any accent, and have proper pronunciation... It is a mind set that I'm already convinced it will be fun to try. 🙂 Hopefully I don't put myself in a precarious position with my attempts though! :/

I found this on Wikipedia:

"The prevailing sentiment is that Virgin Islands Creole cannot be learned like a standard language, but acquired only through having spent one's formative years in the Virgin Islands. Attempts by Virgin Islands non-native residents to speak the dialect, even out of respect, are often met with disapproval."

As far as that Wikipedia thing... I haven't found that to be true at all. I always thought that personally, but when I ask my West Indian friends and family they say otherwise. My husband is West Indian, but he "yanks" most of the time (talks like a yankee). When he is wound up about something, the West Indian accent takes over. I've found that I've started to take on the same habit. I've also found that the accent varies greatly depending on what island a person is from. There are a ton of expressions that West Indians use that just seem to nail it on the head.

I've gone through the dictionary provided. Thanks btw. All I can say is wow! It is going to be an adventure, especially as I've had formal training to remove any accent, and have proper pronunciation... It is a mind set that I'm already convinced it will be fun to try. 🙂 Hopefully I don't put myself in a precarious position with my attempts though! :/

I found this on Wikipedia:

"The prevailing sentiment is that Virgin Islands Creole cannot be learned like a standard language, but acquired only through having spent one's formative years in the Virgin Islands. Attempts by Virgin Islands non-native residents to speak the dialect, even out of respect, are often met with disapproval."

True. Even if you don't offend anyone, they'll laugh at you! Native Virgin Islanders know standard English very well and don't need others to change how they speak in order to be understood. The dictionary is helpful for those of us who didn't grow up here to understand what we're hearing, though!

Depending on whoever Im around my accent can change...from stateside to Trinidad or to Crucian...and yep especially when wound up it turns on strong. I dont find it offensive when people adapt an island accent, but I like to hear continentals pick up the accent naturally rather than forced....

You've got it when you can distinguish between Crucian and Thomian accent 😉

@Noah...awesome link...dead on

I love to listen to the various languages, dialects, and accents here in the VI. It's part of the joy I feel here. 🙂

I find it better to just speak normally and not try to mimic another accent or dialect. I speak slowly and so does the person I'm speaking with and we do fine. I do find myself using some idioms.

Thanks everyone!

I first off firmly believe in the universal language of a smile, and the ability to laugh at oneself. My "need" to learn the words is not to adopt a mimicking vernacular, but rather to understand life. I believe it to be so rude when someone speaking in English with an accent is told, "What? You are in America, speak American!" While idioms are vastly different by region I feel it to be my responsibility to adopt to the way of life for the region I'm in, not the other way around. While I still plan on speaking in my general style of English, that shouldn't be prohibitive to me in terms of "jump ups" vs. street party. 🙂

Regardless thank you for all the assistance, hopefully it will help me from hopping around with my foot in my mouth and egg on my face. 🙂

Yep, you've got it! Your vocabulary will change (and almost has to in order to communicate effectively), but if your accent ever changes naturally, it will take a long time. It's fun to listen to native mainlanders who've been here forever and sound a bit Crucian at times without intending to.

I'll admit I find some of the local grammer a bit trying, at times. My problem is with children not being taught to speak properly, in a global world, where impressions matter. I don't mind the colorful sayings, such as "me-a know" (no idea how to spell that) or "I tell she" as long as the young folk actually know better than to use that in a business setting, applying for a job, etc. I used to laugh all the time about the people I worked with getting a lively conversation going, and the only word I could actually understand was the one that starts with f.

Not picking on locals, either. Years ago, I took a friend with me to my hometown, on the coast of NC. While there we visited my high school friends, and as you can imagine, everyone talking and catching up. I felt badly for my friend and said something like...."Sorry to leave you out of the conversation, jump in anywhere you can", and her reply was, "I don't understand a word anyone is saying, including YOU."

Growing up we weren't allowed to speak "raw Crucian" at home ....we would get corrected everytime we said something like "me eh kno" or "wahta"...that was reserved for school/playground...at least in our household

Okay - now that I am on my way...

WAPA other than impolite terms names and references... Is it pronounced W. A. P. A. or Wah - pah?

It's pronounced WAH-puh.