THE EDITOR, Sir:
DOREEN MCLEOD-Bramwell's letter appearing in the June 29th edition of The Gleaner regarding patois and educational achievement provided for some interesting insights into people's attitude towards our native language.
I agree with her that Jamaican children should learn English, since this is a universal language and learning will be more effective, given the fact that educational materials in use in Jamaica are in English. English is the second most-used language in the world and its use in commerce, diplomacy and science makes it desirable and sometimes necessary to learn.
On the other hand, patois is a part of our culture and cannot be erased. Most people are not making linguistic criticisms of patois but social ones. This means that they are not looking at patois as a language developed over many years and therefore embedded into our daily lives.
The social criticism is full of prejudices which undermines efforts to teach children English and having children appreciate the value of English. The way to teach English is to first appreciate rather than denigrate patois. Let us not forget that English over the last 1,500 years according to Nelson Francis, professor of Linguistics at Brown University, "has changed from the language of a rough, warlike, rather savage, agrarian, tribal society like that of the Anglo-Saxons to the typical language of the most complicated technological civilisation on earth."
Other languages have the same and perhaps patois will do so one day. Let us not forget that "what is fi yu caan be un fi yu".
I am, etc.,
DENNIS FRANCIS
Denafranco55@hotmail.com
9 Gold Road
Poughkeepsie, NY
