Growing up in his native Guyana—the only country in South America where English is the official language—Edgar Henry (’78) heard more than his fair share of street slang when going out to the local markets.
“They certainly weren’t speaking the Queen’s English,” he recalls with a laugh. For example: a thousand-dollar Guyanese bill was condensed to “towel”; chatting informally was called a unique slang word, “gyaffing”; and “How are you?” was often shortened to “Wha’ appenin’ deh?”
Henry has compiled these types of words and explored their origins in his latest book, The Guyanese Street Slang Alphabet. “Slang was taboo in the house I grew up in, but in the streets, you’d always shorten the words,” he explains. “My book is centered around Guyanese slang, but it exists in every language … and I explore the roots of it, tracing back to hieroglyphics, before papyrus and paper were even invented.”
But authoring books and diving deep into language is just one small aspect of Henry’s fascinating and lengthy career. At the age of 21, his father passed away, prompting Henry to resolve to leave Guyana to provide for his mother and four siblings.
“As the eldest son, I was determined to venture into academic fields,” he says. “I just needed an opportunity.”
That opportunity came in the form of a bookkeeping job in New York City with a Greek shipping company. He simultaneously began studying at Baruch College at night and, after graduating, became the shipping company’s chief accountant. In the decades that followed, he would also acquire a real estate license and buy property throughout New York City and Florida.
All the while, he has remained deeply connected to Guyanese culture, serving as the vice president of the Guyana Cultural Association of New York. As part of his involvement with the group—and as an accomplished pianist—he teaches music lessons to Guyanese-American children.
And, of course, he loves writing, having produced a handful of screenplays and books over the years. He is already working on his next book, tentatively titled Fingers and Toes, a memoir, of sorts, about his unique experience of having been born with 12 fingers and 12 toes.
“My mother and my son were also born with this interesting phenomenon,” he explains.
“I’m doing a lot of research on the history of what that has signified, culturally and historically, dating back to Africa.”
— GREGORY M. LEPORATI