Caribbean Studies Ia
Introduction
In the Caribbean and specifically in Jamaica, the most accepted language for communication is that language left to us by our European colonisers. The pidgin that developed from the contact of the African slaves and European masters later developed into their own individual languages (or Creoles). They (the elite in society) shun these languages as inappropriate or inadequate for public and sometimes even private use. This notion is widely accepted by even those who can speak nothing else but the Creole. It has fed belief that the use of the Creole, in Jamaica’s case “patois”, makes one inferior to the users of Jamaican Standard English.
This research serves to educate the minds of these “elite” and those not so fortunate but have adapted that way of thinking. It also serves to inform them of the reasons not to doubt the equality of the Creole to the official language, to remove the thought of the Creole being inferior or bad language, and to invoke a sense of pride in one’s “nation language”( term used by the Barbadian poet Braithwaite).
Research Questions:
➢ Do young people consider patois as bad language?
➢ Do people view Jamaican Creole as Jamaican Standard English’s equal?
➢ Has the language prejudice-taught to us by our European colonisers- been passed on to this present generation and by what degree?
➢ Can prejudice be prevented from being perpetuated for coming years?
Technical terms:
➢ Indispensible- Absolutely necessary; vitally necessary
➢ Mother tongue- One 's native language; the language learned by children and passed from one generation to the next
➢ Culture- All the knowledge and values shared by a society
➢ Creole- A mother tongue that originates from contact between two languages
➢ Prejudice- A partiality that prevents objective consideration of an issue or situation
➢ Dialect- The
In the Caribbean and specifically in Jamaica, the most accepted language for communication is that language left to us by our European colonisers. The pidgin that developed from the contact of the African slaves and European masters later developed into their own individual languages (or Creoles). They (the elite in society) shun these languages as inappropriate or inadequate for public and sometimes even private use. This notion is widely accepted by even those who can speak nothing else but the Creole. It has fed belief that the use of the Creole, in Jamaica’s case “patois”, makes one inferior to the users of Jamaican Standard English.
This research serves to educate the minds of these “elite” and those not so fortunate but have adapted that way of thinking. It also serves to inform them of the reasons not to doubt the equality of the Creole to the official language, to remove the thought of the Creole being inferior or bad language, and to invoke a sense of pride in one’s “nation language”( term used by the Barbadian poet Braithwaite).
Research Questions:
➢ Do young people consider patois as bad language?
➢ Do people view Jamaican Creole as Jamaican Standard English’s equal?
➢ Has the language prejudice-taught to us by our European colonisers- been passed on to this present generation and by what degree?
➢ Can prejudice be prevented from being perpetuated for coming years?
Technical terms:
➢ Indispensible- Absolutely necessary; vitally necessary
➢ Mother tongue- One 's native language; the language learned by children and passed from one generation to the next
➢ Culture- All the knowledge and values shared by a society
➢ Creole- A mother tongue that originates from contact between two languages
➢ Prejudice- A partiality that prevents objective consideration of an issue or situation
➢ Dialect- The
Bibliography: Lisa J. McIntyre. (2006). The Practical Skeptic Core Concepts in Sociology (Third edition). McGraw-Hill. Phillip A. Butcher. Cassidy, F. G., 1971a. Jamaica Talk. Three Hundred Years of the English Language in Jamaica. Cayol, D., 2008. Patois or Jamaican Creole? Report in The Jamaica Gleaner, June 29, 2008. Online: http://www.jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20080629/news/news4.html (03.05.2010) JLU, 2005. The Language Attitude Survey of Jamaica. Data Analysis. Jamaican Language Unit, Department of Language, Linguistics & Philosophy, Faculty of Humanities & Education, Online: http://www.mona.uwi.edu/dllp/jlu/projects/Report%20for%20Language %20Attitude%20Survey%20of%20Jamaica.pdf (01.05.2010) Angus Stevenson. (2002). The Little Oxford English Dictionary (eight edition). United States. Oxford University Press Inc., New York Linton Kwesi Johnson Hubert Devonish. (2002). Language rights, justice and the constitution. Jamaica Gleaner, 2002/01/27 Stephanie Tame-Durrleman Geof Brown. (2008). Patois as language or broken English. Jamaica Observer, 2008/7/04 Daniel Jettka