The Jamaican Dialect

2462 Words5 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Black English vs standard English examples

The History and Sociolinguistic development of the Jamaican Dialect

The topic of dialects is one which linguistic anthropologists have spent much time studying. Distinctions made between an actual language, a sub-standard variety of that language and an actual dialect are often unclear and the topic of much debate. Recently in the United States there have been many discussions about Ebonics, or Black English. It has been argued that Ebonics is simply a sub-standard form and degradation of English, while others feel that it should be recognized as an African influenced English dialect. One of the most recognizable forms of African-influenced English is that spoken by the people of Jamaica. Linguists and sociologists alike have studied the formation of this dialect over the years, because it is a prime example of language development resulting from cultural influences. By looking at the development of Jamaican speech from a historical perspective we are able to see exactly how the culture of this island has influenced the evolution of this dialect.

Jamaica is the third largest Caribbean Island, measuring 146 miles at its widest point. The warm weather, high mountains and broad plains provide Jamaica with diversity in climate and agriculture. The population of Jamaica is estimated to be around two million people, with nearly a half-million living in Kingston, the capital and largest city in Jamaica. Of those residing in Jamaica, 90% are of African descent, with the other ten percent made up of mostly Caucasians, East Indians and Chinese (Barrett 1997:3). Popular culture is heavily influenced by the African heritage, while formal behavior is unmistakably British in style. The unofficial language of Jamaica is English; however th...

... middle of paper ...

...ge, which represents the people of today. This also is a dialect, which has not stagnated but continues to grow and will do so into the future. Perhaps someday it will become a language completely separate from English, a language of liberation free from the influences of White oppressors.

Bibliography

Barrett, Leonard E. The Rastafarians. Beacon Press, Boston.

DeCamp, David The Locus of Language in Jamaica. Georgetown University Press, Washington, D.C.

Encyclopedia of Language and Linguistics Volumes 1,3,6. Pergamon Press, NewYork.

International Encyclopedia of Linguistics Volume 3. Oxford University Press, New York.

Rasta/Patua Dictionary ed. Ogata, Michio updated by Pawka, Mike 1995.

Todd, Loreto Pidgins and Creoles. Modern Englishes. Basil Blackwell Pub. Lmtd., Oxford.Zach, Paul ed.1995 Insight Guides. Jamaica. Hofer Press Pte. Ltd.,Singapore.

Show More
Related

  • The Positive and Negaitves of Living in Jamaica

    810 Words  | 2 Pages

    In this paper I covered the geography, lifestyle history, people, and the society. Many different people transformed the history and the culture they have today. The people in Jamaica live in small communities without very much to live off of. Their climate does not range very much and their seasons depend on rain. Although, there society is poor, the people still find ways to live their lives to the fullest.

    Read More

  • Little Brown Baby Literary Devices

    1340 Words  | 3 Pages

    While some features of AAVE are apparently unique to this variety, in its structure it also shows many similarities with other varieties including a number of standard and nonstandard English varieties spoken in the US and the Caribbean. Speakers and writers of this dialect use some distinctive aspects of the phonological, lexical, and grammatical traits associated with this dialect. Many sociolinguists would reserve the term AAVE for varieties which are marked by the occurrence of certain distinctive grammatical features.

    Read More

  • Cosbys Ebonics

    1020 Words  | 3 Pages

    In 1996, the Oakland School District proposed the inclusion of what is known as "Ebonics" into its curriculum. Ebonics, or Black language, has been referred to in various ways over the years: "African American Vernacular English," "Pan-African Communication Behaviors," "African Language Systems," or "West and Niger-Congo African Language Systems." By any name, Ebonics, when studied over the years, has been proven to be a real language with its own phonology, syntax, morphology, sentence patterns, and double interpretations of words. The pattern that Ebonics speakers in the United States speak is highly similar to the patterns seen in both the Caribbean Creole and the West African languages. No one would have thought that comedian Bill Cosby would have an opinion on this subject, but as I read through essay I realized the logic and validity behind his paper.

    Read More

  • Reflecting On Changes In Children's Behaviour

    1690 Words  | 4 Pages

    Children’s Social Care work with parents and other agencies to assess the stages of child protection procedures, record information and make decisions on taking further action. The police work closely with this agency to act on decisions made such as removing a child or the person responsible for the abuse while gathering evidence and carrying out investigations regarding the matter. Health professionals have a duty to report suspected non-accidental injuries to Children’s Social Care and examine children to give evidence of abuse. The Children Act 2004 requires every local area to have a Local Safeguarding Children Board to oversee the work of agencies involved in child protection, place policies and procedures for people who work with children and conduct serious case reviews when children die as a result of abuse. The NSPCC is the only charitable organisation that has the statutory power to take action when children are at risk of abuse. They provide services to support families and children and two helplines for children in danger and adults who are concerned for a child’s safety. They also raise awareness of abuse, share their expertise with other professionals and work to influence the law and social policy protect children more efficiently. There are also acts in place to protect children such as the Children Act 1989, the United Nations Convention On The Rights Of The Child 1989, the Education Act 2002 and the Children Act 2004. Legal framework from such acts are provided for Every Child Matters which requires early years practitioners to demonstrate that they provide activities that help children protect themselves. This may be through books and group talks known as “Stranger

    Read More

  • Ebonics

    823 Words  | 2 Pages

    Ebonics, also known as Black English, is a nonstandard dialect spoken in many homes in the inner cities of America. This nonstandard language is often looked upon as low-class or lazy talk. This is not the case, however. Due to consistencies found in the dialect, there seems to be an order. It has been found that, when learning English, African-Americans adapted the language using some of the structure and rules of their own native tongue. This Black English has carried on through slavery and then freedom for hundreds of years. Although there is a coexistence of more than two dialects in our society, those in power forget the flexibility of our language and see no other way than the use of Standard English.

    Read More

  • Jamaican Culture And Nursing Care

    1075 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Caribbean is comprised of a group of island. Jamaica is one of the greatest Antilles. It has a tropical climate. Each country has its own culture, Jamaicans is not an exemption, and they have an assorted and distinctive one. “Their culture is a complex mixture of African, Arabic, European, East Indian, and Chinese roots combining together to create a rich, dynamic heritage” (Gall, 2009).

    Read More

  • Dialect And Identity In The Documentary American Tongues

    1064 Words  | 3 Pages

    American Tongues Response EssayThe documentary American Tongues (1987) examines an array of American dialects and accents in all regions of the United States, as well as the perceptions tied to specific ways of speaking. The film does this by interviewing people of multiple ethnicities, geographical locations, education-levels, and socio-economic classes. The information presented in American Tongues makes the audience consider its distinct way of speaking and the insight it may provide to those around them. The film clearly shows that the way individuals speak, as well as the diction they choose to use or eradicate from their vocabulary, is intricately tied

    Read More

  • When Cultures Collide: The Challenges of Raising African Children in a Foreign Country

    735 Words  | 2 Pages

    Another difficulty cultures deal with is language and the way people speak. In some cases, people struggle to belong by making changes in the way they speak the English language just to be assimilated. They attempt to use words and letters, as well as body language that fit in the norm; all in an attempt to denounce their original intonation and style of pronunciation. One ...

    Read More

  • Taking a Look at the Garifuna Language

    826 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Web. 20 Nov. 2013. Escure, Geneviève, and Armin Schwegler. Creole, Contact, and Language Change: Linguistics and Social Implications. Amsterdam: John Benjamins Pub., 2004.

    Read More

  • Psychopathy: Personality Disorder

    2102 Words  | 5 Pages

    “Psychopathy is a personality disorder characterized by an inability to form human attachment, aggressive narcissism, and antisocial behavior defined by a constellation of affective, interpersonal and behavioral characteristics, most of which society views as pejorative” [1]. Some of these characteristics include irresponsibility, grandiosity, cunning, deceitfulness, selective impulsivity, sexual promiscuity, lack of empathy, etc. People who are psychopathic display not only antisocial behavior but also emotional impairment such as the lack of guilt. They are able to prey on others using their charm, deceit, violence or any other methods that allow them to get what they want. A strong feature of most of the behavior exhibited by individuals with psychopathy is that it is mostly instrumental in nature. They are extremely goal-oriented with interests in acquiring wealth, sexual opportunities and increased status.

    Read More

  • What Are The Challenges Of Moving To America

    789 Words  | 2 Pages

    There are also words taken from Spanish, Arawak, French, Chinese, Portuguese, and East Indian languages. Although pronounced similarly in Standard English, the patois preserves many 17th- and 18th-century expressions in common use during the early British colonial settlement of Jamaica.”

    Read More

  • Current Monetary Policy Of The United States

    2057 Words  | 5 Pages

    United States Federal Reserve. (February 11, 2014). Monetary Policy Report. Retrieved June 18, 2014, from http://www.federalreserve.gov/monetarypolicy/mpr_20140211_summary.htm

    Read More

  • Colonialism and Globalization in Jamaica

    532 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Westerner referring most commonly to those that are of European descent see the island of Jamaica, to be exotic, a place of wonder and discovery, which is why they decided to settle in hopes of exploring this unknown territory to find adventure just as Edward Said described in Latent and Manifest Orientalism. To this day modern westerners, tourists, have the same mentality that Said described when they travel to Jamaica, they see it as a place to of adventure, a vacation from the boredom and stress that they have experienced back home. What tourists do not realize is that they are able to experience this adventure at the expense of other people’s hard work and labor, which is the Natives daily life. These people may bask all day in what the tourist thinks they enjoy the...

    Read More

  • Comparing Jamaican Creole And Tok Pisin

    1038 Words  | 3 Pages

    Siegel (ibid.) explained that ‘Pidgins and creoles are languages that develop in situations where groups of people who do not share a common language have to communicate with each other – typically as the result of trading or large-scale population movement.’ Although he decides to group them together here, the two are different stages of language development.

    Read More

  • Development of the English Language

    1048 Words  | 3 Pages

    Hepworth, M. D. (2012), Tutorial Notes, '69214339 TMA01', Unpublished Work. Leith, D. and Seargeant, P. (2012), 'A Colonial Language', in Seargeant, P. and Swann, J. ed. a. a. a. a. a. a. a. a. a. a. a. a. a. a. a History, Diversity, Change (U214, English in the World), Milton Keynes, The Open University, pp. 113-117. 101.

    Read More

More about The Jamaican Dialect

Open Document