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English in Dominica

Most Dominicans speak both English and a French Patois. In a few villages Patois is the preferred language, but English is much more common. The preferred language may depend on the subject. For example, Patois has a richer vocabulary for agricultural matters. There is a surprising variation in the way English is spoken from village to village. Many North Americans find the Dominican accent more difficult to understand than, say, a Jamaican accent. It is much better (and will not cause offense) to ask a Dominican to repeat something more than once than to nod your head without understanding.

For fun and practical use, learn some Dominican English.

cutlass: variety of big knife, machete.

drop: lift, as in "give me a drop to Portsmouth."

fig: banana.

ground provision: root vegetables.

hello: not just a greeting. "Hello" means "stop and talk to me."

Melville Hall: name of airport, pronounced Melvin Hall.

pass out: die (rather than faint).

pear: avocado

plush house: a wall house with amenities such as hot water in the kitchen and a bidet.

Portsmouth: pronounced Portsmouth, not Portsmuth.

Roseau: capital of Dominica, pronounced Rozo (rhymes with bozo).

saca fete: Patois for ‘how are you?’

skip or skiff: dumpster

topless van: pickup truck.

transport: 1) van for hire. (Seldom called a "bus," although transports stop at bus stops.) 2) Any vehicle that is primarily intended to carry people. ["Car" is used mainly when talking to students or to distinguish among kinds of transports, as in “the car not the jeep.”]

wall house: house with cement block and plaster construction.

wood house: house made of wood. No surprises here.