Triniglish|Trinididioms spoken and explained #65
Yuh is ah Trini|"Eh, Eh-eh, eh-heh"
Yuh is ah Trini|"Eh, Eh-eh, eh-heh"
Eh, Eh-eh and eh-heh will be heard on a daily basis when you visit Trinidad and Tobago. It is amazing that we all go to school and learn to say things correctly yet still use the local lingo with greater ease than using formal language. Is it because our parents use these words or is it because street talk takes precedence to formal language? Some people feel uncomfortable using correct English when speaking with our friends and simply feels better using Trini Lingo.
A typical conversation may go like this, "Are you going to the carnival celebrations in Brooklyn?" The reply could be heard like this, "Eh?". Eh yuh say... Well it simply means, "What did you say?".
Now we get to "Eh-eh". The conversation above could also see a reply that diverts to, "Eh-eh, no". The bottom line is that the reply simply means, "No, no way or oh no".
The last part of the "Eh" conversation goes in another direction. This one ,"Eh-heh" could also be a part of the same conversation. The same question could also receive a reply like this one. "Eh heh... My heart is in the ting and I really want to go to the festival but I have to work but since you will be recording it all I feel good that I would be able to be see some of it." Simply put it means, "Oh really? I understand. Yes!"
Well as you can see we are a colorful people in many ways, not only is our carnival a splendor in its own right but if you look at the lingo one may conclude that is it just as rich and vibrant as our people who created it all.