Sense and Nonsense in St. Vincent: Speech Behavior and Decorum in a Caribbean Community¹

Speech behavior, among the Afro‐American peasants of St. Vincent, British West Indies, is the focus of a high degree of interest, self‐consciousness, and value judgment. A segment of the speech economy of Vincentian peasants is analyzed in terms of a native taxonomy of speech acts and related terms, illuminating Vincentian ideas concerning proper and improper behavior as well as the realm of speech behavior itself. The analysis paves the way for a consideration of the conduct and significance of the tea meeting, one of the most popular performance events on the island and a key to the dynamics of social change in contemporary Vincentian society.