The Conundrum of St. Martin's Name

This is an episode I was not looking forward to making. It's never easy to correct someone or to tell them that how they have been pronouncing something all their lives, is not exactly the correct way. Ouch!

In this episode, we dissect the complexities behind the spelling of St Martin's name. This is unlike any of the previous episodes about the island I call home; it's a passionate exploration into our  identity and how honoring the correct name spelling can be a significant way of showing that you, as the visitor, does care.  

Whether you're a seasoned traveler about to return to this beloved island or a curious newcomer tuning in, prepare for an eye-opening conversation that will deepen your connection to St Martin and to us, the locals who call it home.

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:08

well, well, well, hello, hello, hello, and thank you so much for joining me today. Whether you are listening on the podcast paradise perspectives or you're watching this on my youtube channel, welcome. And if you are not new here, welcome back. My name is Rizal the Traveling Island Girl, and in today's video or podcast episode, I am sharing with you guys something that is super, super important and that is the correct way of spelling certain words when you're visiting St Martin and the surrounding area. This has been quite a video that I've been meaning to do for quite a while and it's why I haven't yet. It's just because I know it's such a controversial topic, because I know that I am going to step on some toes, and when you're correcting someone, no one wants to be corrected. So if this is going to offend you or insult you, perhaps you shouldn't listen to the entire episode or watch the entire video, but it is something that needs to be said.

Speaker 1: 1:18

Anyways, we, as Caribbean people, we have been indoctrinated. Is it indoctrinated, indoctrined, or we have been? Since childhood, it's been kind of like stamped into us that we need to cater to visitors and that we are pretty much here to make sure that a visitor is always happy. You know, customer is king that complete whole thing. And while I agree with that, I feel like in the while, while we've been doing this, that we have completely made ourselves small and that now we are at the point that we do not even want to tell customers, our visitors, about certain things that they may not be doing the correct way. One of those things is how you spell the name of the island of St Martin, and I can totally understand why it's confusing to visitors. It's even confusing to us, the locals, at some point or another, because it wasn't until like a few years ago that I myself was taught or learned about a particular thing when it comes to the spelling of the name.

Speaker 1: 2:33

All right, let's dive into this. Yes, the island of St Martin is separated, or not separated. Sorry, I never want to use that word because we're not separated. We are sharing this 37 square mile island. It is shared by two nations, the French and the Dutch. Absolutely, I get it. So, naturally, the Dutch side is spelled the Dutch way, which is Sint Maarten, s-i-n-t-m-a-r-t-e-n, and the French side is Saint-Martin, which is, of course, spelled S-A-I-N-T-M-A-R-T-I-N. Correct, right?

Speaker 1: 3:17

So I have had this question asked on numerous occasions, especially when I bring up this topic asked on numerous occasions, especially when I bring up this topic. But if it is Saint Martin or Saint Martin, how do we spell it? Or how do we call the island, when we are talking about the destination itself or about the entire island? Dutch and French? Excellent question. The answer is Saint Martin, the way that the French spell it, because that is also the way that it's in. That is actually spelled in the English way, right? So the English will spell it the same way and since English is kind of like the universal language when it comes to traveling especially, let's keep it at Saint-Martin how it is spelled, the French way and really also the English way, which is, of course, s-a-i-n-t-m-a-r-t-i-n.

Speaker 1: 4:14

Now, another question that was presented by me. When I say that is that people from the Spanish speaking communities also for them it's a little confusing because they don't spell it that way at all they call it San Martin, which, of course, they have any right to do so, and it is San Martin in Spanish. So, para la gente que está escuchando o que está viendo este video y que es de una isla o de una destinación que habla español, para ustedes, de verdad, el nombre de la isla es san martin, que es, of course, s-a-n-m-a-r-t-i-n. Okay. So I had to go into my spanish a little bit just to kind of like tell you guys that are from the spanish-speaking community that yes, you are right. For you it is totally spelled and pronounced san martin, s-a-n-m-a-r-t-i-n.

Speaker 1: 5:08

Okay, now I know we're going really deep into this whole thing about what is the correct way and not offending people and yada, yada, and I get it. Why am I going so deep into this? Is because if your name was kevin, I'm sure you would not be liked if I was calling you Kevon, because it's not correct. So somebody out there some time ago has decided that Saint-Martin would be the right spelling and pronunciation of the name, and this could not be further from the truth.

Speaker 1: 5:41

Now it is because we islanders are so docile, in my opinion, and we didn't want to touch on anybody's toes or step on anybody's toes or insult or, you know, do anything bad towards the visitors who we really, really value so much. Because, let's be honest, the Caribbean is entirely, if not to a major percentage, dependent on tourism. Tourism here in Samaritan especially, is our bread and butter. We do not mean to offend you at any time. We do not want to do so, but in doing so, we have actually not come forward and telling you the way it is that when you say San Martin or sorry, not San Martin but if you call the island San Martin with two E's, that it is highly offensive to us. It's just not the name of the island.

Speaker 1: 6:32

I don't know about this fictional place that was created called Saint-Martin. All right, it doesn't exist. So that's why I wanted to do this video and that's why I wanted to do this podcast episode. I feel it is so important for you as a visitor to know that you know. Yeah, it may not be important to you how we call it or how we like it to be called, but it is important to us. So please, by all means, do not call it Saint Martin with two Es.

Speaker 1: 7:01

And while we're at it, there is also only one Saint Martin. It's not. We may be two nations sharing this 37 square miles island, but we are not two islands. So there is no need to add an S at the end of the name. It's not St Martins. It never was St Martins. It never will be St Martins. There's only one of us. It's not plural. Please don't add the S, and I know that you know, for some of the local people in St Barth that I have spoken to in the past, that they have this same frustration because for some reason people have decided that there should be an S at the end of Saint Barthes and make it into Saint Barthes, which at no point was the intention at all.

Speaker 1: 7:50

The island name is Saint Barthelomew and saint barth is a shortened version of that name, so the name of the island is saint barth. It is not saint barth with an s at the end. But yeah, it has kind of like they have accepted it, I guess, and it has become kind of like a universal name for the island. But I try my best not to offend them if I can, and then so I call it Simbarth without the S at the end. Now, speaking of islands that do not like to be that, do not like to be called something that they are not, is Anguilla? Anguilla often is called Anguilla and I get it because you know Spanish-speaking people especially tend to call it Anguilla and I totally get that. But no, it is not Anguilla, it is Anguilla, all right. So Anguilla, that is the correct pronunciation of the name and I'm sure that the people of Anguilla will be very grateful for me adding this part into today's episode.

Speaker 1: 8:54

All right, moving on to the next word that I hear a lot of you mispronouncing it, and you're mispronouncing it not because you're completely you know, like you don't care about how it's what the correct spelling is Of course not. But I know that all of this is done unintentionally. Most of you do not really know that this is the correct way, but the word planted and you know planted is that that one thing that we love to have in our cuisine. It's in pretty much all of our dishes. It's that you know that fried, deep fried, good goodness that we add to our dishes, which you will definitely at one point or during your vacation experience, I hope and planted.

Speaker 1: 9:39

A lot of you will say it's plantain, but just like you have mountain and fountain, it's plantain. It's not plantain plantain, just like you don't have mountaine or fountain. Right, makes sense. So that's just one of the other things that I would just want to put it out there. I mean, if you call it plantain, a lot of people are not going to be offended, don't worry about that. But I just thought that, since we are on the topic of pronunciation, the correct way of pronouncing certain words. I might just add this to the list as well.

Speaker 1: 10:11

I hope that for you, and I know that especially my audience everybody in my audience is always appreciative of the kind of you know information that I put out there, and I value you guys so much. Thank you so much for being part of this community. I am so glad that you guys are here listening to Paradise Perspectives, but also watching my YouTube channel, because I do hope that by sharing all the experiences that you can have from on the island when you visit from a local's perspective is so, so important and you guys value that. So I thank you for being here and watching this video or listening to this particular Paradise Respectives podcast episode. So, going back to it no, it is not St Martin with two E's, the correct way. We just went over that. I don't need to repeat myself here. I think we're all really big boys and girls and that we get it now.

Speaker 1: 11:05

Oh, and before I let you go, just two more words that you need to know, especially if you are coming to St Martin very soon. One is marigot. It is not marigot. The T is silent and it is grancas, not grancas. All right, so marigot and grancas. And there. I'm sure there are so many other things that I can tell you about pronunciations, but let's just leave it at this for now, thank you. Thank you so much for listening. Thank you so much for watching. My name is Rizal, the Traveling Island Girl. I'll see you next time, bye, and who knows, maybe I'll see you in St Martin.