Caribbean

FROM: Ryan [E-Mail]
DATE: Tuesday January 18, 2005 -- 8:05:41 am

We should ask Billy Ocean. He has a good grasp of their monarchy.

FROM: Chris [E-Mail]
DATE: Tuesday January 18, 2005 -- 9:19:36 am

I've always pronounced it like your teacher.

FROM: Monica
DATE: Tuesday January 18, 2005 -- 9:40:22 am

I say how you say it, Paul, when using it as a noun, and the other way for an adjective.

FROM: jk
DATE: Tuesday January 18, 2005 -- 10:45:53 am

I side with your teacher.

FROM: dave
DATE: Tuesday January 18, 2005 -- 1:25:06 pm

In Ferocious Female Freedom Fighters (a Troma classic) this argument is settled the old-fashioned way - Indonesian women's wrestling.

FROM: Lorene
DATE: Tuesday January 18, 2005 -- 2:29:20 pm

I say it your way Paul.

And Ryan, nice reference. I had to read it twice to get it, then laughed out loud.

FROM: Joseph
DATE: Tuesday January 18, 2005 -- 2:52:12 pm

I hear what you're saying. I grew up with people putting the accent of the first syllable (what I gather to be Paul's way). But then I heard it pronounced with the accent on the second syllable (what I think is Paul's teacher's way).
But I'm still confused about that last syllable. Paul's teacher's way is "un," while Paul's way is "in." Is that the difference?

Paul: was your teacher accenting the last syllable and pronouncing it "un," like the first syllable of under? If so, that's just weird.

Of course, I found out recently that the Caribbean/Caribbean debate began long before the Carribean was so named. The original debate is about how to pronounce carob. Is it carob or carob?

FROM: Ken
DATE: Tuesday January 18, 2005 -- 5:30:42 pm

I sat carabe-in

FROM: jk
DATE: Tuesday January 18, 2005 -- 10:53:16 pm

Customers of mine were getting ready for vacation today, so I asked them where they were going. I had to try hard not to giggle when they said they were going to the Caribbean, pronounced the way your teacher did.

FROM: Dave
DATE: Wednesday August 3, 2005 -- 12:29:40 pm

I was a radio announcer for many years in South Florida and had many personal ties to that area's Caribbean community. I pronounce it "Cuh-RIBB"-ee-unn."

FROM: Barry
DATE: Monday August 15, 2005 -- 12:31:18 pm

I-really-don't-care-just-take-me-there-in-the-winter. but here's another interesting take on this "Vital to World Peace" question: check out http://www.guidetocaribbeanvacations.com/details/pronounce_carib.htm

FROM: annie
DATE: Monday January 2, 2006 -- 2:30:37 am

I'm inclined to go with CaRIBBean, but I'm always hearing the lovely way that Bob (Marley) says it in 'Buffalo Soldier' - soldiers 'from the heart of the CARE eh BE an". How do all hear other famous West Indians say it?

FROM: Ivan Maldonado
DATE: Wednesday May 10, 2006 -- 8:04:56 pm

I pronounce it both ways. Once, I said "Pirates of the Care-a-be-in," but my smartass friend tried to correct me by saying "Car-ih-be-un." In turn, I lectured him and told him the word is pronounced both ways. I think "Care-a-be-in" sounds British while "Car-ih-be-un" sounds American.

FROM: cc
DATE: Sunday July 9, 2006 -- 2:47:45 am

i pronounce it the teacher way, i think it defines your personality by pronouncing it, care-ih-bee-an means you're more shy and less exotic and stuff. care-ihbb-ean (teacher style) means you're more outgoing and willing to try new stuff.

FROM: Thiel
DATE: Thursday July 20, 2006 -- 4:31:00 pm

Here's an excerpt on how to pronounce the word correctly.

Although many tourists and foreigners favor say "ka-rib-e-an," this is a corruption of "ker-e-be-an," the accurate pronunciation truest to how the Caribs ("ker-ibs") pronounce their own name. The regional beer (Carib) is pronounced "kar-ib," not "ka-rib-eh." By the way, the Caribs say "po-ta-tow," not "po-tot-tow," and they should know. Potato is a Carib word adopted into English.

TR

FROM: cc
DATE: Saturday August 5, 2006 -- 7:58:11 pm

the website that you got that from is totally wrong, Thiel. despite them being a vacationing website, they havent done their research. the ker-e-be-an pronunciation is for describing the people, and ka-rib-e-an is for the location of the islands and stuff