Essay about Jamaican Patois - 4705 Words

Jamaican Patois Jamaican Patois, otherwise known as Patwa, Afro. Jamaican, just plain Jamaican or, Creole, is a language that has been until quite recently referred to asungrammatical English.(Adams, 199 1, p . I 1) Creole languages are actually not unique to Jamaica, they are found on every continent although their speakers often do not realize what they are. The rest of the terms refer strictly to Jamaican Creole. Creoles are languages that usually form as the result of some human upheaval which makes it impossible for people to use their own languages to communicate. What people often refer to as the bad or broken-English of Jamaica are actually local Creoles that usually come about through a situation of partial language†¦show more content†¦They looked down on the newly arrived African slaves who spoke their indigenous tongues. To this day there is a strong awareness, even among those at the bottom of the social scale, of the difference between the city and country, especially the remote hill settlements.Bungo talk,is the term placed on the old-fashioned expressions and turn of phrase. The debate surrounding the use of Patois as opposed to Standard English includes a number of issues and dates back to the times of slavery when Jamaicans had Standard English presented as a superior language and the indigenous language was denigrated to an inferior status. Today, more than 90% of the 2.5 million people in Jamaica are descendants of slaves brought from western Africa by the British. English is the official language but, Patois is the local language and still holds its African roots (Pryce, 1997, p.238-9) Most people in Jamaican are somewhere along the continuum between speaking British Standard English and, the local Patois. There is a great deal of linguistic flexibility, depending upon who someone is speaking with, meaning, a Jamaican would probably use different language when speaking withShow MoreRelated Jamaican Patois and the Power of Language in Reggae Music Essay4989 Words   |  20 PagesJamaican Patois and the Power of Language in Reggae Music Introduction Creole languages are found all over the world on every continent. When two or more languages come into contact to form a new language a Creole language is born. Some type of human upheaval that forces people to find a way to communicate, without using their own languages, stimulates the creation of a Creole language. In the case of Creole languages in the Caribbean, the upheaval is the past history of slavery. Most CreoleRead MoreThe Unique Language of Jamaica887 Words   |  3 Pagessaid that Jamaicans have a unique language. Some may say Jamaicans do not have a language of their own. Jamaicans official language however is Standard English. However there has been much confusion in the language we speak because we sometimes or often times speak in what is called Patois, Creole or even Ungrammatical English. This however is not considered a language. Patois is not a native language, it is a second language. Patois is a combination of English and African languages. Patois howeverRead MoreThe English Language Examination Tests1848 Words   |  8 Pagesfavourable, again the report revealed the at there was a ‘serious issue of a lack of understanding of sentence structure’ and formatting. The report also revealed that there was a significant amount of ‘interference from the local creoles/dialects (patois) on the Standard English of a large number of candidates’(2013, 2012) affecting areas such as ‘non-marking of past tense, weak spelling and the use of pronouns’ (ibid, 2013). 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This human and cultural element of language is culture specific to the island of Jamaica since humans diffused and collaborated various languages to form the dialect of Patois. In a 1975 interview by Karl Dallas with Bob Marley, he stated, No, he cant unnerstand that, he says in an aside to Taylor. Thats a patois. Its not straight English you can write. Sometimes we sing in patois. I believeRead MoreCulture Analysis : Jamaica. Jamaica1394 Words   |  6 Pagesrural areas speak patois. Patois is a creole dialect with West African, Spanish, and French elements. The language today reflects the history of the country and its interaction with diverse mixture of cultures from many ethnic, and social backgrounds. The local language is a reflection of a history of contact with variety of speakers, but the official language remains to be standard English (Pryce, 1997). However many Jamaicans feel that if they devalue their native language of patois, then they areRead MoreLanguage As A New Trending Phenomenon2293 Words   |  10 Pagesof mine is patois. A language that originates from a rich history and is only truly spoken by the people of its original country, Jamaica. This country now has of 2.7 million people and is one of the most recognized compared to other islands in the Caribbean. A part of that comes from the language spoken in Jamaica. It gives the Jamaican culture a distinguishable aspect from many others. The language was developed in Jamaica when slaves where brought from Africa to the island. Patois started asRead MorePop Queen Rihann An Overview1405 Words   |  6 PagesBraithwaite (PartyNextDoor) a Jamaican native, Rihanna and Drake. It was also produced by a Jamaican Canadian named known as Matthew Samuels (Boi-1da), Allen Ritter and Sevn Thomas. Allowing her to be a widely_____. Inspired and sampled by a dancehall genre, â€Å"Work† by Rihanna is a love-related emotional song due to the standardized structure that has a repetitive baby talk, and glamour that brings in the commodity. However, â€Å"Work† is not speaking gibberish but Jamaican Patois. The song uses several instrumentRead MoreMy Roller Coaster Of My Life1078 Words   |  5 Pagesboth Standard English, and Patois, the language spoken by most Jamaicans. Here in the United States, speaking Patois made me different and an outsider. From personal experience, having a second language and an accent tends to result in frustration of not being understood and the feeling of stupidity when I am unable to correctly pronounce words like the people of the region. It was important for me to be able to be understood. In Jamaica, people equate speaking Patois to aggressiveness and beingRead MoreMy Life Is A Coaster Inside Of A Maze889 Words   |  4 Pagesfluent in both Standard English, and Patois, the language spoken by most Jamaicans. Here in the United States, speaking Patois made me different and an outsider. From personal experience, having a second language and an accent tend to result in frustration of not being understood and the feeling of stupidity when I am unable to correctly pronounce words like the people of the region. It was important for me to be able to be understood. In Jamaica, speaking Patois is equivalent to aggressiveness and