by Brown Gurl
Jamaican Patois is not a language. Patois in general is a type of tongue that is spoken in the Caribbean. More specifically, Jamaican Patois is spoken in Jamaica, a small country located in the West Indies. This is a form of English that is considered ‘broken’. Scholars have researched and covered the origins of Jamaican Patois, the complications associated with the tongue, how it affects society, communities, politics, etc. Nationalism does not always mean citizenship, there are more things that contribute to one’s patriotism, loyalty, etc to a country. Language plays a major role and influences identity, culture, community and society.
It can be a decade, a century, or a lifetime away from home, one’s tongue never changes and will remain preserved. I interviewed my cousin and asked questions such as how she feels about Patwa, why did she change and how does she feel about her language. Her response to those questions was, “It is just what we used to speak back home, I do not know how to really feel about it, which we call ebea. I never really changed my native form of speaking, I just tried to speak ”proper” English to the people here (code-switching),” she says. “But I never changed. It is okay, I have no hard feelings. I feel as though people try to match a form of speaking to a group of people, a culture, and a country. But that is not always the case. My grandmother’s family is from Jamaica and Cuba, so this language defines me because this is what runs through my lineage, my blood. This is my culture, my heritage that I identify with. I do not identify with the ‘American’ heritage, because I can not relate to them. I was not raised in an American household, I was raised in a West Indian household speaking Patwah.” My cousin
Even though I have never been to Jamaica, I still feel a very deep connection that matters to me, because the culture is what I was around. It is extremely frustrating that Patois is considered a broken form of English, as if the people who speak it are broken as well. In reality, something is only considered broken when is not approved by or manufactured by the oppressor.
Patois is not just an incoherent tongue that is considered broken English. It is spoken throughout the small islands of The Caribbean, however they are not all the same. In Paxton Belcher-Timme’s piece,Patois: The language of Jamaica: Rhetoric of Reggae, he speaks in depth on the origination and development of Jamaican Patois in Jamaica.
“After living their entire lives speaking the native languages of their homelands, the English that the slaves (stolen people/stolen labor) spoke was far from perfect. Slaves were forced to speak English in everyday situations, and because of this, a dialect of broken English came into fruition. This exact situation was mirrored on nearly every other Caribbean island as well, creating an un-official dialect of the Caribbean, and Jamaica in general.
As time went by, this broken English developed into a uniform dialect of broken English. The dialect began to adopt its own set of rules, phrases, and words. This development of this form of broken English became widespread and understood in Jamaica, creating its own dialect, rather than just the title of broken English. This dialect is helping to create a ‘Jamaican race of people.’
The slaves developed this tongue as a code language from the slave overseers. This was due to the fact that slaves were forced to speak English and abandon their native tongue. Also, by forcing them to speak English, the slave’s’ identity and native culture were efficiently erased. Language in any country has incredulous influential power.
Language in Jamaica has influenced things like politics, culture, etc. not just geographical accent realization and placement. In the piece, The Historical and Culture Aspects of Jamaican Patois, Ruby Madden, reveals somewhat what Patois does for Jamaica’s culture and community.
“There is another social aspect to this as well; the educated upper class, tend to have lighter skin and speak “proper”English. The majority of Jamaicans struggle economically with low wages and use Patois daily, listen to music using Patois, identify with the words and have darker skin. The divide between the two languages and races is about culture, linguistics, economic standing and skin color (Cooper 16-20).”
Madden talks about how in the community; the upper class, who also happen to be educated, speak English and appear to be the lighter bunch. Whereas the vast majority of Jamaicans who struggle economically and are in the lower classes, use patois daily – whether it be in the literature, music, etc., have darker skin. She ends that connection with, “The divide between the two languages and races is about culture, linguistics, economic standing and skin color” Even both are seen as black (colorisim), so much separates and divides them. She concludes her overall paper and speaks about how the development of Patois has shaped and affected the culture of Jamaica. This is not just geographically – but within its peoples, society, and politics. As well as how the language represents the people and their struggle for equality and cultural freedom and lifestyle. In thepiece, Jamaican Patois and the Power of Language in Reggae Music, Stacey Herbold gives an example of how reggae that is composed in Patois are beginning to be recognized by politicians and the government.
“The power of language in reggae music has stung the government and has been adopted by politicians. In 1996 the Jamaican government revealed a little uneasiness and fear of the power of reggae music by banning Anthony B’s “Fire Pon Rome” from the radio. Due to the nature of the song containing a “lengthy cataloguing of national sinners, including the prime ministerial candidates and Jamaican corporate heads” the song was declared inappropriate for the radio waves…”
Politicians are now also recognizing the possibilities of reggae music as a message carrier. In an effort to build an image more appealing to “ghetto voters,” politicians are actually offending more people by embracing what is not theirs.
This action shows how a popular song, that the vast majority of eligible Jamaican voters favored, influenced a lot of new thought.
The politicians looked down at the ‘ghetto voters’ as if their vote did not matter, but in the same sense, the same ‘ghetto voters’ mattered the most. Then turned around and falsely ‘accepted’ something that did not need to be accepted. By doing this they are showing that they are not being genuine, they are busy accepting it because that’s what they think will get them the vote. This also emulates a power structure that I have seen. In America, wealth and color rules who gets what and divides races.
Just because it is a small country with one ‘common language’, does not mean it does not face language barriers and language complications. Ruby Madden also uses The Historical and Culture Aspects of Jamaican Patoisto cover some of the complications associated with Jamaican Patois and faced by the speakers of this tongue. She talks about the domino effect in Jamaica when it comes to speaking Jamaican Patois over ‘regular English,’ insinuating the problem starts when the children are in school.
Bilingual schools are another issue being discussed. Most of the children growing up learning to speak Patois and only when they enter school do they begin to learn English. Most schools do not allow speaking of Patois in order to force the children to learn English fast. It is very valuable to be able to speak both languages however some do not finish school. This then continues the pattern of children growing up learning Patois because that is what their parents speak and then later learning English as a second language (Francis 2005). Despite the similarity in race, bilingual projects have also had scorn and criticism due to it being expensive and the social feelings about Patois as a language. It is sometimes called ‘degenerate English’ with ‘raw mispronunciation’.”
Patois is learned at home when the child is young and then when they are of age, the schools try to snub it out of them. All while considering the challenge the young children face when confronted with having to balance both languages (code switching). Some never are able to adapt and then looked down upon by others because they do not speak “proper” English. Another unfortunate complication is shown in Jamaican Patois and the Power of Language in Reggae Music. It is the common thought that one can not and will not be successful unless they are able to speak and write in Standard English. The issue here is that many are not able to, being that they do not read much to begin with. Which is due to the content of the subject and then the ‘higher individuals’ that feel as though it is not necessary to make Jamaican Patois an official language. Some feel like legalizing Patois will be viewed as an inferior form of Patois and others feel like do not want another official language. Nonetheless, when the government does this and dismisses the thought of making a Jamaican Patois spelling system, they are showing that they do not really care about the people who put them in office, the citizens.. “Broken English,” is not always necessarily the thing that is broken. Sometimes broken English may be the same thing that keeps people separated.
Ones does not necessarily have to be from a country, to identify and be defined by the language. Even though it is not spoken of a lot, scholars have done research and talked about the complications associated with the languages do why they occur, how it affects society, culture, politics, etc. These texts matter to me because they gave me more insight and depth on my culture, including some historical background on my family that I did not even know. When I hear my family speak it; or hear people speak it in the streets, or even when I speak it, I feel like I am apart of a secret society.
The real world is centered around influencing one cultural identity for everyone. When this is done, society is snubbing out individual identity and differentiation. Something that comes to mind that could explored later is why is their ancestors being ebbed out them from all aspects? Why is the ‘slave tongue’ now considered barbaric? When will people see that language used as a barrier and a struggle in every society / country. No matter if it’s considered whole or not. What are your thoughts on Jamaica adopting Patios as the official language of Jamaica?
