Listening to the radio recently I heard the following: “play the music boi… aye-yah-yaye’. After hearing the words I realized that living in the United State has robbed me of experiencing the sweetness of the Creole English spoken in my native Trinidad and Tobago.
As a child hearing someone say aye-yah-yaye (short sound) meant that the person hurt themselves resulting in the exclamation. However, when the aye-yah-yaye is said with the long sound then the meaning shifts to one of wonderment/pleasure/satisfaction.
I do understand that speaking Trini in the United States would result in utter confusion and bewilderment for those whom have no experience with Trini talk. That is one of the reasons why I stay tuned to the radio stations streaming their services via the internet. That is my way of staying in tune with the language and I especially choose to listen to the stations where the language is spoken in true Trini street style. I don’t have a problem with it and won’t be critical because the Queen’s English is not properly enunciated. So let's take this opportunity to coin a word to represent our Creole Engilish and name it "Triniglish" for Trinidad English.
I am sure you have your preferences and may cringe whenever you hear some of the pronunciations on air. However, that is the way we speak and I don’t get upset when I hear the announcer jokingly say 'hostiple' for hospital or the very funny “meh wees kneak’ for my knees are weak. I simply smile because that Creole makes me feel so Trinidadian.