Jamaican English or Patwa/Patois?
Days 1649 - 1655
Sunday, September 23 - Saturday, September 29, 2012
Day 1649 ( )
Sunday, September 23, 2012
Stayed in all of the day because it was raining for the most part.
-------------------- -------------------- -------------
-------------------- -------------------- -------------
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Day 1650 ( Jamaican English or Patwa/Patois ? )
Monday, September 24, 2012
Went to the bank after work to lodge some funds and I had to again be hiding from kids. I took a long route just to avoid them. That is how badly I don't want to see them while going about my business.
-------------------- -------------------- -------------
Jamaican English or Patwa/Patois ?
We speak a local dialect (Patwa/Patois) as well that most if not all Jamaicans know how to speak. A few, especially the intellects tend to look down on the local dialect. Because honestly if you don't get a proper education in Jamaica, you will have a 99% chance of speaking only the local dialect, not English.
Jamaican English is very similar to the British English. This is because we were a British colony until 50 years ago (1962). But our accents are very different. However, we have more influence from America, because America is much closer to us than England. Our spellings are exactly the same as British English. But in our everyday speaking, we use quite a bit of American English and a small amount of British English. Eg. Americans and Jamaicans say "pants", while the British would say "trousers" for the exact same thing. You would almost never hear a Jamaican say trousers. But at the same time we and the British say "Sleeping policeman" and not "Speed bumps" like the Americans. See more here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jamaican_English
Anyway, there are 2 major arguments. One supporting Patwa, one supporting English:
Major Arguments Supporting Jamaican English
- English is the most common language in the entire world and we need to learn it in order to communicate and trade with the outside world. This is of course a solid argument and I totally agree that we should learn it.
- Patwa is kind of "Ghetto" and only the uneducated speak it.
- Patwa is not standardized so it is not a language. Why speak it when it has no use outside of Jamaica?
Major Arguments Supporting Patwa/Patois
- Patwa/Patois is uniquely Jamaican. A mixture of several languages chiefly English, some Spanish and some African languages.
- Lets not forget our roots, if we weren't colonized by the British, we wouldn't be speaking English. Actually we wouldn't be speaking patwa either. Who knows what we would be speaking?
- English was forced upon us by slave owners. Why should I speak this language?
There are more arguments supporting both, but these are some of the major ones. I personally prefer speaking Patwa to my friends, family and other Jamaicans. I use English only if need be and when absolutely necessary. Hey I am an English teacher !!! So I have to speak English for my job.
At least 3 persons told me that they never knew I went to university, all because I tend to speak a lot of Patwa. Most of my immediate family members including my mom, dad, sister also my closest cousins and aunts, all tend to speak more English than Patwa. Why am I like this then? Its just how I feel comfortable. My final stance though is,
"Learn English to communicate with the outside world, BUT NEVER forget your roots".
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jamaican_Patois
Check out this video I found of 2 Americans, tracing their Jamaican roots:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Day 1651 ( )
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
Took another day off from work today because I wasn't feeling too well. Stayed in all day again.
-------------------- -------------------- -------------
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Day 1652 ( )
Wednesday, September 26, 2012
Went to my "We care little about English" school today. But surprisingly, even though today is not the usual day for classes there, the teachers some how all remembered that they had English!!! This was shocking. I wonder if the principal or vice principal spoke to them? In the evening I had my private student and we spoke about random stuff including the territorial disputes Japan has with China and South Korea.
-------------------- -------------------- -------------
This is the train line I take pretty much everywhere !!! And I take this exact route every Friday and Saturday to go to YMCA.... Scaaaaary!!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Day 1653 ( )
Thursday, September 27, 2012
Had meeting today after work. Everyone is tired at these meetings on the last Thursday of every month. But actually this meeting today wasn't so bad.
After the meeting, a couple of us went to TGIF for a drink and some food.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Day 1654 ( Was On TV Last Month )
Friday, September 28, 2012
At my main school, some kids told me that they saw me on TV August 30. I had no clue about this. Some of my friends in Okayama also told me they saw me. So I searched thoroughly on the internet for the show and I finally found it. Here it is :
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Day 1655 ( Another Shipment of T-Shirts )
Saturday, September 29, 2012
Had my usual 3 YMCA lessons today and my Jamaican friend Vivanna (who I introduced to the Y) came to watch two of my classes. Then I went back to her apartment with her and her boy friend for a bit... Keep your dirty thoughts away....
When I got back to my apartment, I saw that my shipment of Jamaican T- shirts arrived. This ain't the best season to sell T-shirts now, because we have only about a week left of warmth, then time for misery.
Comments