Worksheet 6

1. According to Roberts, which two territories are ‘linguistically notorious’?


2. Which English speaking Caribbean country has fewest Creole features?


3. When a Jamaican Creole speaker says, ‘All the ceiling she paint’ all is used to mean ________________



4. The feature ‘wi’ used after sentences as a tag can be attributed to influence from which language?



5. According to Roberts which territories use the ‘wi’ tag?


6. Which country does not use ‘does’ to indicate habitual?



7. What linguistic difficulty does this traditional joke in Jamaica illustrate? The indignant schoolmaster reprimanding his pupil with, ‘hemphasise your haiches, you hignorant hass’.



8. A feature prominent in Barbadian speech is strong retroflexion…what does this mean? Give an example.



9. When a Grenadian or Trinidadian uses ‘it have’ as in the following example: “It have a man in town….” What does ‘it have’ mean?



10. To signal future St Kitts speech has both ‘gon’ and ‘an’ . What do the following express

(a) He an go town fi you

(b) A gon do om soon.



11. Translate the following English Creole statements to standard


Di two pikni dem a fight.
Dis a fi mi buk.
Tantie bex causen say mi tan too long a maakit.
Im tek tik lik di gyrl inna she head.

12. Write down three different ways in which non standard speakers of English in the Caribbean might say, “The boys went to a party.”

Language: registers

An acrolect is a register of a spoken language that is considered formal and high-style.

The term mesolect refers to a register or range of registers of spoken language whose character falls somewhere between the prestige of the acrolect and the informality of the basilect. Mesolectic speech, where it is distinguished from acrolectic speech, is often the most widely spoken form of a language, generally being used by lower and lower-middle classes. Within the context of Creole languages, mesolects only appear in instances of a post-Creole speech continuum wherein speakers code-switch between various mesolectal levels within the continuum depending on context.

In linguistics, a basilect is a dialect of speech that has diverged so far from the standard language that in essence it has become a different language. A basilect represents the opposite end of the scale of linguistic formality from an acrolect. In certain speech communities, a continuum exists between speakers of a Creole language and a related standard language. Basilects typically differ from the standard language in pronunciation, vocabulary, and grammar, and can often develop into different languages.

(Additional reading: West Indians and their language Chapters 1-4 )

Worksheet 5

Look at the poem:

Dis ting called language is real funny
We does use it for all kinda ting you see
Sometimes it fancy and sometimes it free
And in did Caribbean is a real potpourri

When it fancy we it formal and real ‘la de da’
When it free we does call it vernacular
Each country down here have it own language flavour
But they each have a standard that they must master.


1. The author refers to using language for “all kinda ting” (line 2). State THREE different purposes of language.

2. Suggest TWO situations when one might use what the author refers to as “fancy” language (line 5).

3. Suggest TWO situations when one might use what the author refers to as “free” language (line 6).

4. Americans and British speakers may be said to be using different dialects of the same language.
(a) What are some noticeable differences between them?
(b) In this context explain what is referred to as ‘accent’.

5. Identify FOUR instances where Creole influenced vernacular is used in the poem.

6. Suggest one reason for the demise of the Garifuna language in St Vincent.

7. Identify ways in which the same language used by different speakers may vary.

8. What are the possible causes for the development of varieties of any language?

9. Write a short definition for the linguistic term ‘register’.

10. Explain the process by which one dialect emerges as the ‘Standard’.

EXTRA:

For each of the examples that follow, explain why these speakers of the same language did not seem [ :0)] to understand the meaning that was being transferred:

....................

YOU ARE BACK AGAIN?

The Judge said to the defendant, "I thought I told you I never wanted to see you in here again."
"Your Honor," the criminal said, "that's what I tried to tell the police, but they wouldn't listen."
………………

CONTACTS

A policeman stops a lady and asks for her license. He says "Lady, it says here that you should be wearing glasses."
The woman answered "Well, I have contacts."
The policeman replied "I don't care who you know! You're getting a ticket!"

Language: dialects and registers

Language is systematic or rule governed. Although this is true, it is also true that there is often variation in the actual use of any language. All users of the same language do not necessarily use it in the same way. Often the same speaker may use the same language in different ways depending on a number of factors.

A dialect is a variant of a language. If it is associated with a geographically isolated speech community, it is referred to as a regional dialect. However, if it is spoken by a speech community that is merely socially isolated, it is called a social dialect. These latter dialects are mostly based on class, ethnicity, gender, age, and particular social situations. Black English (or Ebonics) in the United States is an example of a social dialect.

Code switching: People may quickly switch back and forth between dialects, depending on the person they are talking to at the time. This pattern is referred to as diglossia or "code switching." Code-switching is a term in linguistics referring to alternation between two or more languages, dialects, or language registers in the course of discourse between people who have more than one language in common. Sometimes the switch lasts only for a few sentences, or even for a single phrase.

More broadly defined, code-switching occurs when people alter their speech and behavior so as to fit into different social situations. The most common changes involve vocabulary, levels of casualness or formality, types of clothing, and facial and hand gestures.

Dis ting called language is real funny
We does use it for all kinda ting you see
Sometimes it fancy and sometimes it free
And in did Caribbean is a real potpourri

When it fancy we it formal and real ‘la de da’
When it free we does call it vernacular
Each country down here have it own language flavour
But they each have a standard that they must master.

Worksheet 4 - Language

Worksheet 4a True or False?

1. Language is the human ability to use certain forms for thinking, speaking, enjoyment and aesthetic pleasure.
2. Language is common to all living things.
3. A language is used by a particular community.
4. Language is acquired at birth.
5. The rules for one language always apply to another.
6. An infant will speak as a native tongue whatever language it is exposed to during the first few weeks of life.
7. The stages of acquisition of language in Spanish children and Chinese children are the same.
8. English is a prestigious language because it is inherently superior to other languages.
9. Language is centered in the brain.
10. Intelligence is measurable independent of language and culture.


Worksheet 4b.

a). What is language?

b). What are the main reasons for this complexity?

c). Would you agree that the Europeans all spoke the same dialects of their language?

d). What evidence does the passage provide to support your answer to (c) above?

e). From which continent do the majority of official languages of the Caribbean come?

f). What languages did the Europeans encounter when they came to the Caribbean region?

g) Why does the writer of the passage in ‘Language Variety’ refer to the Caribbean as a complex linguistic area?

h). Identify the official language in all territories of the Caribbean.

i). Identify the popular languages of St Lucia, Jamaica, Bonaire, Haiti and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.

j). Give five examples of the linguistic features of Creole languages.


Reading
Sections 1 and 2 of Writing in English (Chapters 1 - 7)
Chapters 1 and 2 of West Indians and their Languages
CAPE Study Guides 8, 9 and 10

Language variety

All human societies use language. Some societies use just one and are said to be monolingual. Most societies use more than one language. Such societies are bilingual, trilingual or even multilingual. Sometimes individuals within a society might be bilingual or multilingual. There is a difference between a society that is bilingual and an individual who is bilingual. In bilingual societies such as Canada, provision is sometimes made for equal treatment for speakers of either language. Road signs and other public use of language are often presented in both languages. The bilingual individual usually has to make a choice of language depending on her audience.

Usually the history of a language is the history of the people who speak it. The Caribbean provides good examples of this. It is a complex linguistic area. The original inhabitants spoke, and in places like Guyana and Suriname still speak, a range of indigenous languages brought to the region many hundred years ago. These languages are mainly the Arawaccan or Cariban language groups but there are also speakers of Warrau.

The official languages of the Caribbean are local or regional forms of European languages such as Spanish, French, Dutch and English. In the special case of Haiti, the French-lexicon Creole language, called Haitian, is also regarded as an official language along with French.

It must be remembered that many of the Europeans who came to the Caribbean territories were themselves speakers of non standard dialects of English.

(Required reading: Writing in English Chapters 1-4).

Language - its origins and characteristics

Many animal and even plant species are said to ‘communicate’ with each other. Humans are not unique in this capability. However, human language is unique in being a symbolic communication system that is learned instead of biologically inherited.

Symbols are sounds or things which have meaning given to them by the users. Originally, the meaning is arbitrarily assigned. For instance, the English word "dog" does not in any way physically resemble the animal it stands for. All symbols have a material form but the meaning can not be discovered by mere sensory examination of their forms. They are abstractions.

A major advantage of human language being a learned symbolic communication system is that it is infinitely flexible. Meanings can be changed and new symbols created. This is evidenced by the fact that new words are invented daily and the meaning of old ones change.

Languages evolve in response to changing historical and social conditions. Some language transformations typically occur in a generation or less. For instance, the slang words used by your parents were very likely different from those that you use today. You also probably are familiar with many technical terms, such as "text messaging" and "high definition TV", that were not in general use even a decade ago.

* Additional reading: Writing in English Chapters 1-2