Slangments

Slang refers to informal vocabulary developed and used by particular groups in society. It is casual and sometimes playful language that is deliberately used in place of standard terms. It bonds those in an inner circle who use the same words, but excludes others who don't share the terminology.
I believe that slang used is based on one's culture. I believe the REASON slang is used is in an attempt to fit in with one's society. In my everyday conversations, I tend to use the slang based on my culture in Tobago, because I think one way one can fully express their self is by using a means that they're most comfortable with.  Although slang is not standard English, I see no problem with using it daily, as long as it is in the proper context. I see no problem especially if one is comfortable using it. 
However, I also believe that there's a time and place for everything and the place and to whom I am speaking may have an impact as to whether or not I use slang. Therefore, I think that I am using the slang appropriately since I understand that there are limitations and certain conversations that may need me to speak standard English. In other words, there is a time and place for everything under the sun, and I know when,where and how to use slang.

Do I?

From experience, I believe I am able to express myself well when I am communicating verbally. Although I may prefer writing or drawing as a means of communicating the way I feel, when I communicate verbally, I do a PRETTY darn good job at it, if I do say so myself. I do like communicating verbally though. It allows me to express myself fully.

 I believe that there is clarity in the way I communicate. In my speech! However, I think that the level of clarity can be improved at times. I'm not always able to bring across my point of view in the best of ways. Sometimes the words are there, but they just wont roll off the tongue. We can accomplish clarity in our speech when we use specific words(words that clarify meaning by narrowing what is understood from a general category in a particular item or group within that category). By using concrete (words that appeal to the senses) and precise (words that narrow a larger category) words, we are closer to clarity. The use of literary devices also adds flair to your speech and may improve your clarity. When we are clear in our speech, we can then be sensitive in the way we use our language.


One demonstrates linguistic sensitivity when they choose a language that respects others and avoids usages that others perceive as offensive because they are sexist, racist or otherwise biased. There is generic language which is using words that may apply only to one sex, race, or other group as though they represent everyone. I try not to do this because we tend to generalize everyone as male which to feminists feeds the flame to the fact that we live in a chauvinistic world. Then there is non parallel language which are terms changed because of the sex, race or other characteristic of the individual. I believe you practice linguistic sensitivity when you filter your words. You make sure what you say isn't offensive. That's basically it. It ain't rocket science!

Well, It's ABOUT time

A little modeling on my part. I DO love FASHION!

For someone who likes fashion and shoes and art and music and all that jazz(HaHa..I made a funny), I sure haven't been talking about it. I haven't really had the forum to, but excuses are done with. HERE IT IS!!!!
I have selected an article from my local newspaper, my locality being the lovely isle of Tobago, and I'm about to comment on said article.
This is actually an old article. From last year December. The funny thing is, I heard all the advertisements and rave reviews for fashion week Tobago. Even went to this same event on the Esplanade. I read the blogs, saw the pictures and this article makes me want to BE there and experience fashion week all over again. I perceive this article as quite informative and it really drew me in.

Will it be as good for you as it was for me? Tell me! Read the article, and post comments.
http://www.thetobagonews.com/news/Super_Sensational_Fashion__Show_at_the_Esplanade-135710608.html
I wish the article had pictures. Luckily, Facebook does. You'll have to be signed into facebook to view them, but DO enjoy.
http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Tobago-Fashion-Weekend-2011/203781112987967

Curry, Bollywood and Saris

Namaste! I don't know if you could tell from the title of this post, but I'm talking about India. My group,सुंदर महिलाओं(pronounced sundara mahilā'ōṁ) which translated means "Beautiful ladies" ,decided to become one with the culture of India and in turn, bring OUR country of India to Trinidad.

A Sari

A Dhoti

We started with the anthem of India, Jana Gana Mana. We followed with a presentation on the way Indians communicate, their religion, their food and culture and their dress. This culture allowed to me to appreciate the Hindu religion a bit more. The way they communicate, between male and female, husband and wife or just with one another, is definitely DIFFERENT, but not strange. The respect over there is amazing. It's unique to a culture that is in itself a unique one.









I have a deeper respect for Indian's and their many attractions. From the way they dress, to the food they eat, to the places their country hold, to all the amazing attributes that India has contributed to this world. Did you know that India is the 7th largest country? It holds one of the 7 wonders of the world, the Tajh Mahal. It features food, fashion, Bollywood, dancing, music and love.





This culture was in no which way, shape and or form strange to me. I learned about the way Indians communicate. Quite honestly, I'll leave that....TO THEM because if I, Jolyne Renelle Richard, not a presenter acting as an Indian, but a Haito-Tobagonian,started bowing to everyone or couldn't stand next to my husband(if I had one), this world would go mad and so would I. But I DO respect it. Their ENTIRE culture. More than you can fathom. And who knows, if I ever catch a plane over to India, I'll be communicating just like them.

Sayonara for now(<---not Hindi)

JoReRi

Heaven on Earth...Countries in Class

Heaven on Earth? More like the whole world was brought into Trinidad. One little class in USC's English block hosted the cultures of
Columbia,

 India

 Italy

 and Barbados.

From the presentations made in class, I have learned that each culture has its various norms and beliefs and that culture has a profound impact on not only ones perception but also on how one communicates. People react and behave based on the environment they are exposed to and the practices that they have been exposed to. Several things, including food, clothes, religion and the music listened to, depicts one's culture.

Cultural Effects

How does your culture impact the way you communicate? How does it influence your verbal and non-verbal behaviours?
 My immediate family(my parents and siblings) are the only ones living in Tobago.The rest of my family either live in Haiti or have migrated to the US or Canada.The culture of Tobago blends the influences of African, Indian and English heritage. The island is predominantly English, but Creole, a form of French Patois, is used by a seldom few. My parents are from Haiti, so the French thing, it rubbed off on me. The different languages have created a great impact on how I communicate because though it is expected that since the majority of people in Tobago speak English, members of my family speak French, and so a suitable language must be selected in order to communicate with the people of whichever culture.
 For example, when our family comes together and there is communication between my grandfather, or aunts and uncles, though they speak English, French is used more(though I don't understand) since this is what they would understand and speak more fluently.
In Tobago, a high level of democracy is practised and so everyone has the right to express themselves and share their views as a form of communication. Due to my bi-cultural upbringing, when communicating, there is a big difference as to how I refer to my peers and friends and how I relate to those older than me and in authority. Although laughter and jokes may be shared with people in and or outside of my age range, people of authority are to be referred to with respect and that also pertains to body gestures and body language. With respect comes proper posture, eye contact and calm tome of voice when communicating with people in authority and people older than me.

Papermache or paper news?

Newspaper! We DO know what that is right? It's this kind of weird paper that people in the olden days used to get their information from. The internet, I-pads or plain old televisions weren't created then? I'm kidding ..okay??I know what a newspaper is. In the Caribbean, that's how you get your news. I read an article today, online (yes I'm modernized) and I wanted to comment on it, share my perception of the article itself and share the perception that was formed as a result of reading this article. 

YOU can read the article  and you can share your comment and perceptions too.

       Child incest: The effects of molestation can last a lifetime. This has to be one of the most nagging (for want of a better word) articles I've read. You see, I actually have a friend, a very good friend of mine who has been in such a situation. You know how they say there's an exception to every rule? My friend isn't it. Normally, stereotypes bother me to scorn but here, it's amazing to see how true it is! This article literally grabbed my eyes out of my head, and once I started reading, I couldn't stop. Then I had to read it again, and again just to make sure that what I'd read was really so. The truthfulness and similarity of it all still intrigues me and leaves me in disbelief.

Incest is a profound form of child abuse, and one of the most devastating effects of child incest comes from the confusing constellation of feelings it creates.

I perceive this article to be thought-provoking. It’s going to make me analyze the people I come in contact with and wonder: “Are you from an incestuous family?” based on the way they act. I am now so much more grateful for the life I’ve had. However, it saddens me to know that some people go through this every day and hardly anything is done. This article makes me want to make a difference. I want to become an abuse-victim counselor or something of the sort after reading this. Children who have had this experience are faced with a heap of worries and it is a sad and heavy burden they must bear that they don’t even deserve. I feel to make a difference; to make a change. As Mahatma Gandhi said, “You have to be the change you want to see in the world.” I don’t know how to be that change though. This article seriously touched me, no pun intended, and has proven to be quite informative. Well done Guardian TT!

Till we meet again

Give God All Your Worries

JoReRi

The Poetry Of Perception

Perception is the process of selectively attending to information and assigning meaning to it. It involves self concept and self esteem. I'm not the type of person to really talk about myself, but I guess I'm going to have to. I have to in one paragraph state how I perceive myself. This perception paragraph is going to be a breeze. I can feel it. I'm going to end up with 3 paragraphs. So here ends my introduction and my self-perception starts in 3...2...1...BLAST OFF:

I see myself through a glass darkly. What other people 'claim' to see, I don't. Like little things, like compliments. I don't believe them to be true. I don't think I strive at anything. I think compliments are for those who are at the top of their game. And I know I'm not on top of anything. Not on top of anyone's list, game, roll and or mind. You see, I dwell on the exterior because that's what people see. But really I focus on the interior because that's the truest me. I cope well with pressure and stress. My niche being procrastination and last minute projects.  I perceive myself to be a perfectionist, wanting everything to be in place. But I'm also a pessimist knowing that I'll never finish this race...of life...FIRST. I'm strong-willed, have a great sense of humour, intelligent too but I humble myself because I know my flaws exist. Do you?

Believe it or not, that was one of the most difficult things I've had to do. 3 paragraphs where? Pshh..I struggled to get 6 sentences( I bore in mind that a paragraph consists of 10 to 15 sentences). I got to state my perception. My feelings. My way...I wanted to end with a poem, that I wrote a while back. I never forgot it though and I think it fits in with this post:
TO BE THE BEST by Jolyne Richard
The best person it's true I want to be;
I can strive and strive to the best of my ability;
But let's face it, though I'm a go-getter;
I'll keep striving and striving but there'll always be someone better;
A smart person, but not the smartest in the world;
A pretty lady, but not the most gorgeous of girls;
A lover of God, but not the greatest lover;
A kind-hearted human, but not the best to my fellow brothers;
And oddly, I'm okay with that;
The following I realize are the facts;
Though I'll never be the best, at EVERYTHING you see;
I'll do what I know I do best, that best is being ME!

Rainbows and Sunshine till we meet again
JoReRi

IMPACT on my Life!

So this isn't my testimony to share, but I will anyway. At the age of 16, my brother, that's him right there, he got Crohn's Disease(a form of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). It usually affects the intestines, but may occur anywhere from the mouth to the end of the rectum (anus)) . It was July 2007 and we were away in the States, I'll never forget it. I was 11 years old. My brother, he was chubby before. Then that summer, when we came back to Tobago, you would swear we were characters from Jack and the Beanstalk(Joel as the beanstalk and me as the giant(I got my growth spurt then..remember?). Anyway, Crohn's disease is a recurring thing for Joel. Based on his experiences, it reoccurs based on stress level. He's in university. He's a Biology major. Imagine THAT stress.

Growing up, Joel was kind of my everything. I have another older brother and sister but he was closest in age to me although I wasn't to him. He would play dolls, play house, cheer me up whenever I was down. He was like my best friend. To this day, he is STILL one of my closest friends and someone I know I can always count on.












Joel's always been the livelihood of the family. He's funny, smart, musically inclined,kind. Deep down, and I hope he never finds this blog, I think he's my role model and still to this day he's everything I try and want to be. With the Crohn's Disease, he changed. He matured but he also became depressed. He wasn't the jovial Joel I knew. He told me that he'd had his faith tested. So did I. I often asked the question, "Why God? Why punish my best friend?" To this day, he still has flare-ups and I try to trust God but the questions are still there.

I bet you're now wondering how his experience changed me. It did so in many ways. It made me learn to appreciate him more. Appreciate life more. If you met Joel today, you'd swear nothing's wrong with him. Yeah he's 'meg' (colloquial term for "reed thin") but so what? He's lively, his faith is stronger than ever, his jokes still have the ability to make you weak, and he's still my confidant.

 Joel's experience also had a drastic effect on my personality. Now if you tell anyone that Jolyne Renelle Richard was shy and introverted, they'd just about collapse on the floor with cardiac arrest. In my childhood, I could remember myself being active in church and clubs but I was also so shy. I liked to read, stay indoors, watch television. The social life was more Joel's spectra. As mentioned before, his disease put a hindrance on his exuberant flame. So I guess that I wished to plant, where his disease left ashes.

He'd always made me happy as a child. Always made me feel as if I were important, not just his annoying baby sister. And I guess, I wanted to become him. So I became louder, and funnier and started to be more like him. Even when I came to university here, people would call me Joel 2.0(he also goes to school here). My philosophy is, maybe not in this exact way or these exact words, "BE LIKE JOEL." I mean this in the sense that, although I may not know what someone is going through, I can provide them with a joke, a laugh, a word of encouragement, because something I may have said or done could be the sunshine to their cloudy day. Joel was and is still that to me.

 It kinda sounds like I'm idolizing him, doesn't it? He has flaws, trust me, I can assure you that. He's changed my personal views. You CAN love your sibling as a friend. I have a lot to be thankful for. I have my health, my strength, my friends, my God. What more can I be wanting for?You could say Joel and I are close. I guess we are. We've talked, we've cried, we've laughed..Oh boy have we laughed! And he's been one of the main reasons why I am the Jolyne I am today. Your environment affects who you are. He's part of my environment. The little bugger. Influencing me and whatnot! His birthday's on the 26th of this month. He's going to be 21. And although he'll never see this(I pray this deeply as I CANNOT afford to enlarge his already big head), I wish a Happy Birthday in advance. *cue music and party balloons*

I'm about to hit the hay, but I'll leave with 3 quotes I've always liked and they're all by Mahatma Gandhi. That man just KNEW what he was about. I think they tie in really well with this post and well, they're pretty inspiring.

 "Be the change you want to see in the world."

"You may never know what results come of your action, but if you do nothing there will be no result."

"The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others."

Have a Good one

Till we meet again

XOXO Gossip Girl

*darn..wrong ending*

<3<3 JoReRi