Introducing
Your new presentation assistant.
Refine, enhance, and tailor your content, source relevant images, and edit visuals quicker than ever before.
Trending searches
English that is spoken in the country of Jamaica is known as either Jamaican English or Jamaican Standard English. English in its Standardised Jamaican form is the official language of Jamaica and is spoken by the majority of its citizens. It is a dialect of English that is made up of different varieties of English. Parts of American and British English dialects as well as numerous Irish intonations contribute to Jamaican English. Though Jamaican English is the standardised and most communicated language of the nation there is another type of Jamaican English that is also spoken by approximately 3.2 million people in Jamaica as well as Panama and Costa Rica. This type of Jamaican English is more formally known by linguists as Jamaican Patois. This language is a creole language, meaning that those who originated it were of a Black- European descent. The language has many West African influences, and though it is a form of English it is not similar to what is known as Rastafarian vocabulary nor is it to be confused with Jamaican Standard English. It is the native language of Jamaica but is still not used as commonly as Jamaican English in its standard form.
National Jamaican Flag
English Language (1&2)
UNIT 2- Area of Study 2:
Englishes in Contact
The Jamaican Standard English dialect is very similar to that of the British and American dialects of English, they are almost identical when spoken as well as written. Owing to the influences of these dialects onto the original native language Jamaican Patois and more substantially onto Jamaican English, it is quite difficult to try and separate English that people in Britain, American, Australia and Canada speak compared to people in Jamaica. The most prominent difference would have to be the accent of Jamaican English speakers, however their accents are derived predominantly from Irish intonations.
• Phonetics and Phonology: Speakers of Jamaican Standard English hold a very distinct accent compared to speakers of other English dialects.
• Morphology: The internal structure of words, grammar, inflections, affixes and morphological structures present in Jamaican English are the same as those you would find in Canadian, American, Australian and British English.
• Lexicology: The words used in Jamaican English are all common and widely used words in other dialects of English. All the words used in Standard Jamaican English can be comprehended by a speaker of any other dialect of English. Just like the English language when it originated, Jamaican English has also borrowed words from established English dialects posing little dissimilarities when it comes to the usage of words.
• Semantics: The meanings of words spoken in Jamaican English are practically identical to those spoken in other dialects of English. However, there may be words in some cases where one dialect may regard the meanings of some words with more or less significance than another dialect. An example would be the term ‘Oh my god’ in Australian English such a phrase is used to express something of urgency or great emotional impact, however in Jamaican English such a phrase may only be used to give praise to the Lord.
• Syntax: The word order, sentence, clause and phrase structure used by those who speak Jamaican English are the same as the dialects of which so heavily influenced the language. Unlike Jamaican Patois the word order and structure of speech and sentences is more uniformed and comprehendible in Jamaican English, showing the close relationship between Jamaican Standard English and British and American dialects.
As English is the official language of Jamaica it is used in all social and personal contexts in its most common form Jamaican Standard English. Jamaican Standard English is used for, news reports, television, advertisements, articles, road signs, conversing between the government(s), politics, trading, education, music, sports, tourism, films, dictionaries and practically anything that involves written text or verbal communication. British English has been the most influential on Jamaican Standard English. The standard grammar present in Standard Jamaican English is that of British English. The vocabulary of this dialect of English consists of British words and spellings. However, owing to Jamaica being very receptive and communicative with America, it has been found that American English has also had its influence in more recent years. A common trend amongst Jamaican Standard English is to adopt words from the American lexicon along with their corresponding spellings. From its origination, what has been considered as ‘Jamaican’ or ‘Creole language’ has always consisted of English (lexicon and morphological structures). Furthermore, throughout the duration of the dialects existence it has conformed and become what the Western world would deem as more structured in order to remain closer with the British and American dialects of English.
When Jamaican English is written as well as spoken, it is very hard to identify evident differences as previously mentioned the standardised form of English in Jamaica is one that has been greatly influenced by British and American dialects of English, thus there is no notable difference. When viewing written text, particularly articles containing Jamaican English there would be no immediate significations or indications amongst the text that would allow one to question its similarity with Western dialects of English. Owing to no phonological features being present in a written text, Jamaican articles such as the two linked below can be easily mistaken as being a text written by someone who speaks American, British, Australian or Canadian English. The internal structure of words, grammatical concepts, word order, sentence structure and use of content/function words in Jamaican text are identical to those of texts written by those in the countries mentioned. These similarities can be identified in the links below.
http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/Bolt-surprises-8-y-o-boy-with-news-he-won-award
http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/entertainment/Music-producer-to-be-buried-on-Sunday_15196485
The original native language of Jamaica as previously mentioned is Jamaican Patois. Jamaican Patois is locally known as Patwa and is known globally as ‘Jamaican’. Also previously mentioned Jamaican Patois is a Creole language with West African influences. It originated in the 17th century and comprises of various English dialects, particularly Scottish and Irish. Jamaican Patois is used mainly as a spoken language but still has some literary influence in Jamaica, more particularly in schools and institutions of research. Owing to more recent attempts to preserve Patois in Jamaica and make it known to younger generations, Jamaican schools have contributed to the partial standardisation of the native English dialect through studying it.
It is not spoken majorly amongst the nation but is spoken by a fair amount of its people including those in Panama and Costa Rico. It is mostly used in personal situations, where it may be more appropriate to speak Patois, an example being with elder natives. Patois’ lexicon is made up many loanwords from English, Spanish, Portuguese, Hindi and African languages including those of the Scottish and Irish dialects. The reason for which Jamaican Patois is not spoken so widely in current times is owing to its nativist form and rigid structures of which would not allow it to become influenced any further by other dialects of English. As English used in the Western world became more influential on Jamaica as a nation itself through technology, media and politics, it was more open to start maintaining similar forms of communication with dialects of which were more widely received by the world and were more established, therefore the usage of Jamaican Patois decreased.
Information:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jamaican_English
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jamaican_Patois
http://www.omniglot.com/writing/jamaican.php
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Creole_language http://www.mapsofworld.com/jamaica/language/english.html
Images:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Jamaica
http://www.vidiani.com/maps/maps_of_north_america/maps_of_jamaica/large_detailed_administrative_and_relief_map_of_jamaica.jpg
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51IMF01L6bL._SL500_AA300_.jpg
http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lnwvzoKxjV1qljibmo1_500.jpg
Videos:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D LblcztvwXE
http://www.youtube.conm/watch?v=u0 77ibguzYA
Articles:
http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/Bolt-surprises-8-y-o-boy-with-news-he-won-award
http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/entertainment/Music-producer-to-be-buried-on-Sunday_15196485