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.”

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.

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

A summary of the CAPE Communication Studies Syllabus (from the Communications Studies Rules and Regulations handbook)

CAPE Communication Studies Syllabus -A Summary


The qualification will give students a chance to demonstrate their ability to communicate thoughts, emotions, ideas and attitudes effectively. A good grade in this subject will show that a student also understands how people communicate, theories of communication and the relationship of language and communication particularly within the Caribbean context.



A central expectation of the syllabus is that students will be able to “use the structures of English correctly and appropriately, as well as with a degree of elegance” (CAPE Communication Studies syllabus). Developing high levels of competence in English, both in speaking and writing, is at the heart of this the course.


Module 1: Gathering and Processing Information
The main areas covered are
(a) General study skills.
(b) Listening skills.
(b) Comprehension skills for wide range of oral and written material.
(c) Oral summary presentations and summary writing
(d) Critical thinking skills - evaluating arguments and assessing concepts
(e) Using sources and research including data collection methods


Module 2: Language and Community


The main areas covered are
(a) The concept of language
(b) Creole and Creole-influenced languages in the Caribbean
(c) Language and the Caribbean identity and attitudes towards language.
(d) Language in society – development, social, psychological and political
models for language analysis
(e) Communication and technology


Module 3: Speaking and writing


The main areas covered are
(a) Communication theories
(b) Contexts of communication and using the appropriate methods
(c) Organising speaking and writing
(d) Producing a variety of forms of speech and written communication



A full copy of the syllabus can be purchased at Gaymes Book Store. You can get a copy of an extract from the syllabus which gives details of the content of the modules from the Business Copy Centre at College.



We recommend that you have and read the syllabus.