Diagnostic Essay
Diagnostic Essay on “Patois, things Jamaican and the big picture”
The article focuses on the stigma attached to Jamaican patois; the inability of the Jamaican people to accept the language as being a vital and distinctive component of their culture and not as being bad and shameful. Many individuals have, unintentionally, pulled away from the language form. The article also highlighted how the views of persons from other nations differ from those of Jamaicans with regards to patois. The article expounds on the experience of the writer and aims to appeal to a relatively mature audience capable of understanding the underlying meanings associated with the writer’s abstract word choices.
The article is of interest as Jamaicans have often bashed their native language due, in part, to social upbringing. Persons skilled in Standard English are usually associated with a higher social stratum and are able to attain more privileges than those ill-equipped to speak the language. This social hierarchy has forced many to abhor patois, seeing it as more of a social constraint rather than a vital part of their cultural identity. In many instances, patois is only spoken under very informal circumstances. Schools have militantly taught children Standard English, seeking to diminish the use of patois and branding the language form as being wrong. It is interesting to note that this negative view of patois is limited only in Jamaica. Other nations have accepted Jamaican patois as a language to itself and have developed strategies to implement the language use formally. The article speaks to the problems Jamaicans have with their self-identity; their inability to fully accept all parts of themselves. The article is thought to have been written in an effort to allow speakers of patois to move away from the stigma that the language form is bad.
SOURCE
Virtue, G. (2012, August 29). Patois, things Jamaican and the big picture. Jamaica Observer, p.
The article focuses on the stigma attached to Jamaican patois; the inability of the Jamaican people to accept the language as being a vital and distinctive component of their culture and not as being bad and shameful. Many individuals have, unintentionally, pulled away from the language form. The article also highlighted how the views of persons from other nations differ from those of Jamaicans with regards to patois. The article expounds on the experience of the writer and aims to appeal to a relatively mature audience capable of understanding the underlying meanings associated with the writer’s abstract word choices.
The article is of interest as Jamaicans have often bashed their native language due, in part, to social upbringing. Persons skilled in Standard English are usually associated with a higher social stratum and are able to attain more privileges than those ill-equipped to speak the language. This social hierarchy has forced many to abhor patois, seeing it as more of a social constraint rather than a vital part of their cultural identity. In many instances, patois is only spoken under very informal circumstances. Schools have militantly taught children Standard English, seeking to diminish the use of patois and branding the language form as being wrong. It is interesting to note that this negative view of patois is limited only in Jamaica. Other nations have accepted Jamaican patois as a language to itself and have developed strategies to implement the language use formally. The article speaks to the problems Jamaicans have with their self-identity; their inability to fully accept all parts of themselves. The article is thought to have been written in an effort to allow speakers of patois to move away from the stigma that the language form is bad.
SOURCE
Virtue, G. (2012, August 29). Patois, things Jamaican and the big picture. Jamaica Observer, p.