Our Readers' Opinions
July 15, 2014
The regular language of most Jamaicans

Tue Jul 15, 2014

Editor: The national language of Jamaica is English and I’ve heard broadcasts by Jamaican individuals articulating the language most eloquently. But the language that most Jamaicans speak is the one handed down by self-taught slaves.{{more}} Some slaves were very intelligent and they operated as interpreters to both slave masters and other slaves. But they didn’t get the pronunciations right… danky (donky), bockle (bottle), farty-chee (forty-three), etc, etc.

The grammar wasn’t right either, but they understood. “Him garn ah him yard… Him go see uono tomarro eveling.”

That way of speaking is the regular language of most Jamaicans.

The University of the West Indies should research the language, literacy, crime, culture, politics etc of Jamaica and the West Indies, in general.

Avil Cupid