Jamaica

If they speak English, why cant I

understand?!
Can you speak Jamaican?
"Bredrin, wa gwaan?"
"Bwai, ya done know seh mi deya gwaan easy."
"Yes I, a so it go still. Not 'n na gwaan, but we a keep di faith, nuh true?"
"True. How de pickney dem stay?"
"Bwai, dem aright. One a dem wan tun DJ an bus. Nex one wan go a foreign
an bus. A try mia try reason with dem still."
"Yeh man, a so pickney stay fi real. Dem fi know seh every mickle mek a
muckle."
"True. Mi deh pon haste, ya hear? A faawod mi a faawod."
"Yeh man, lickle more, seen?"
"Lickle more."
Translation:
"What 's up, man?"
"I 'm here just taking it easy."
"Yeah, that 's how it is. Times are hard but we have to keep the faith, isn't that
right?"
"Yeah. How are your kids?"
"They 're alright. One wants to be a DJ and make it big. Another one wants to
migrate and make it big. I 'm just trying to reason with them."
"Yeah, that's how kids are. They have to know that you have to work for things
little by little."
"True. Listen, I 'm in a hurry. I'm going to leave."
"OK, see you later."
"See you later."
Map Location
History & Control

Indigenous groups until arrival of CC in 1494 (Santiago)

Overtaken by the UK in 1665 slavery and sugar export
Abolished slave trade in 1807, then imported Chinese and Indian
indentured servants
Slave independence 1838, country independence 1962
Also referred to as the rock
Since independence, country has struggled with economic growth
and inequality
2011 survey: 60% of Jamaicans would be a British territory again
Dominant Ethnicities

Predominantly
African (92%)
Mixed race (6%)
Also European,
Chinese, Indian
 Official Languages

Standard Jamaican English used in government, education &

media

Patois (Patwa) primary spoken language English creole

About 40% can speak some form of Spanish or French taught in

secondary school
History of Languages

Originally, Jamaican English was a pidgin of English and West Africa

Based in Portuguese, but now no remnants are lef
Pidgin gained native speakers & coined new words creolization
Rastafarian reggae music 1960s
Influence of American English media and proximity
Language Policies in Education

Standard Jamaican English was always the language of instruction,

just recently they allow Patois as well (2001)
Education until secondary school is free
Free vocational school is available (Like SENA)
Many primary students start learning Spanish
Follows the British system
Language Mixing

Loan words from Spanish, Hindi, Portuguese, and West African

languages
Many words are English but pronounced differently and using West
African slang
English in Entertainment
Worldwide acceptance & influence of dancehall and reggae

Rasta culture stereotypes that are embraced by the world?

VIDEO: What is Rastafari?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K5xML2BVAvc
Criticisms
Many debates about the status of Patois and its influence on English

Patois being taught in schools

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Reading: Collaboration or Collision?
What does the author mean by we write a language we do
not speak. We speak a language we do not write in
Jamaican context?
Why do many students have difficulty code-switching?
What is the learning comfort zone?
Partial second language learning situation? Should this be
treated differently?
Comments from optional reading?
Jamaican English Characteristics
Much British influence, such as dropping the r in words
Merger of some diphthongs, ex. Fear vs. fair
British spelling and word choice
The continuum spectrum
"im ah wok oba deh suh" (basilect-creole)
"im workin ova deh suh" (low mesolect)
"(H)e (h)is workin' over dere" (high mesolect)
"He is working over there." (acrolect-English)

Many Jamaicans know when to code-switch

 Patois (Patwa)
Spoken in Jamaica and in parts of Panama, Costa Rica, San Andres (3.2 million)
English based with West African influence
"rough, clumsy, or uncultivated speech"
Mostly only a spoken language
No specific past tense forms
No gender or case distinction (ex. I, me = mi)
No is used as a present tense negator

VIDEO: Jamaicans Learning English

VIDEO: Jamaican Patois
2011: Bible Translated to Patois
Wi Faada we iina evn,
mek piipl av nof rispek fi yu an yu niem.
Mek di taim kom wen yu ruul iina evri
wie.
Mek we yu waahn apm pan ort apm,
jos laik ou a wa yu waahn fi apm iina
evn apm
Tide gi wi di fuud we wi niid.
Paadn wi fi aal a di rang we wi du,
siem laik ou wi paadn dem we du wi
rang.
An no mek wi fies notn we wi kaaz wi fi
sin,
bot protek wi fram di wikid wan.
Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be Your name.
Your kingdom come,
Your will be done,
on earth, as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
and forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our
debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.[Matthew 6:913]
Discussion Questions
Should Patois become an official language?

What strategies should be implemented in schools to help students

comprehend the difference between JC and JSE?