linguistic_features_of_jamaican_creole.pptx

8/10/2019 linguistic_features_of_jamaican_creole.pptx

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Communication One


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In this presentation wewill discuss theJamaican Language

Continuum and thefeatures of JamaicanCreole in terms of thelinguistic components it

possesses in commonwith all otherlanguages.

These linguisticfeatures are:

1. Phonology

2. Lexicon3. Grammar4. syntax


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Each country has its idiosyncrasies regarding thelanguages used within its borders and Jamaica is noexception. The Jamaican Language situation is referredto as a continuum.

It depicts the range of languages and language dialectsspoken in Jamaica. (Indeed there are a few otherCaribbean territories which are described in a similarmanner.) This range is represented as a continuumbecause:

Not every point on the continuum is a separate language Jamaicans will switch from one to the other continuously

in conversation and in different situations and According to some linguists, the Creole is continuously

changing and becoming more like English.(Decreolisation)


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Basilect Mesolect Acrolect


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BASILECT is the form of Creole with more Africanderived features than other forms and is said to be thefirst point on the continuum. It is most often spoken inrural areas and by uneducated persons.

MESOLECT is the form of Creole with more Englishderived features than the basilect and is said to be thepoint on the continuum next to the basilect. It is mostoften spoken by urban and educated persons.


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ACROLECT is the Jamaican Standard English and it isthe last point on the continuum. It is most often spoken informal situations.

Undoubtedly this notion that each form is most oftenspoken by particular persons is debatable as theincreased accessibility of new technological mediums ofcommunication throughout the country has enabledJamaicans to choose even more freely any variety they

wish to use along the continuum.


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The lexicon of a language refers to its vocabulary. In thecase of Caribbean Creole English the vast majority oflexical items are derived from English but, there aremany other lexical items that are derived from otherlanguages (Europe, Africa and Asia). Also, there aresome English words, that the usage and meanings ofwhich are inconsistent with traditional English usage.Some creole words are not recognized to be English

words but they do not mean the same thing as they do inEnglish.


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Lexical Item English Meaning Creole EnglishMeaning

Ignorant Lacking in knowledge orinformation

Irritable and lacking inself control

Miserable Wretched or unhappy Fussy or difficult toplease

Salad A cold dish of rawvegetables

Tomato/ footballtechnique

Tea A beverage or a drinkmade from dried leavesof an evergreen Asianshrub

Any hot beverage

Belly A persons stomach Pregnant/ Resentment

Dark With little or no light To be bashful andintroverted.

Corner A place where two Street as well as a place


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In Jamaican Creole English, some English words havebeen compounded to create nouns, adjectives and verbswhich do not exist in English. Many of these compoundnouns refer to body parts.

For eg ., eye -water(tears), hand -middle (palm), nose -hole (nostrils), neck -back, (nape), arm -hole (armpit),head -top (crown), and foot -bottom (sole).

Compound adjectives formed in creole are: hard -ears(stubborn), sweet -mouth (flatter), bad -mouth (todiscourage by destructive critcism ), force -ripe whichmeans forward or precocious and red -eye (envious).


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Creole words are also formed by reduplication (basewords are repeated to form new words).

For example: freni freni (very friendly), chati-chati (talkexcessively or out of turn)


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The sound system or phonology of Caribbean CreoleEnglish is not identical to that of English. For eg, theEnglish word this is pronounced as dis, the word withis pronounced wid and these is pronounced as dese.


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Final consonanceclusters tend to bedevoiced for somewords in CaribbeanCreole English. Sobecomes ispronounced becomeand reduced ispronounced reduce.Sometimes the finalconsonant sound isdeleted.

child pronouncedchil

last pronounced las

respect pronouncedrespek


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Colloquial aphesis(Alleyne, 1980) is atendency to omit

unstressed syllablesin pronunciation.

Kaazn- because Gainst- against Kaal- call Dawta- daughter


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In English, possessionis signaled by theaddition of the

apostrophe s tonouns. In CreoleEnglish this is not so.Instead the word fi is

used.

Creole English StandardEnglish

A fi Jon mango It is Johnsmango.

A fi mi mango It is my mango.


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PluralizationIn English, plurals aresignaled by the addition

of a suffix to regularnouns or by thechanging of the nounform as is the case withirregular verbs. In JC, plurals are

signaled by theaddition of the worddem to the nounphrase.

De by dem- the boys De two book dem- the

two books

Mary dem want tocome- Mary and herfriends want to come.


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Dem is alsomultifunctional and notsoley restricted to

marking plurals ofcount nouns. It can beused as a pronoun.

Dem a come- Theyare coming.

Mi si dem a come- I

see them come. Dem boy de ready

now- Those boys areready now.


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Copula VerbConstruction In English a copula

links the subject of asentence to thepredicate. It is derivedfrom the verb to be.Creole English, incontrast, can have azero copula structure.

In English you wouldsay I am happy.

In creole it would be

expressed mi happyor I happy.


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The Past Tense Verb forms do not

change in Caribbean

Creole to signal thepast tense.

mi drive de vanyesterday

Him did see mi at the

beach las Sunday.


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In Creole English theordering andplacemen t of phrases

and sentences areused to highlight andemphasize differentaspects of meaning in

a sentence.

Is Pam eat de mango.In this sentence, thefocus is on the doer.

Is yesterday pam eatde mango.

Is eat Pam eat demango?


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List five compound words that exist in the Creole Englishspoken in your territory which are derived from Englishwords but with non- English meaning.

Identify the feature(s) of Caribbean Creole English thatis/are present in the following sentences.

1. Mi big sister dark yu see but mi younger sister id deopposite, she have belly aready.

2. Di house ketch fiya an de brigade had to out out it.3. Mi vex wid de boy dem.4. Fi wi team play football like dem fool fool.

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linguistic_features_of_jamaican_creole.pptx