Patwa attitude change

Garth White is a well known Jamaican ethnomusicologist. He displayed leadership and sociocultural insights as a schoolboy in the mid-nineteen sixties. His article "Conversations", taken from the 1966 Jamaica College School Magazine, is presented here as a device in evincing latent cultural comprehension.

From the perspective of academic linguistic pursuits, or rather, distinct from such pursuits, the article affirms that orthography is not a deterrent or hindrance. Written in 1966, the piece paints a compelling visual and tactile experience, and pulls the pretentious acrolectal to authentic understanding of the validity of Jamaican Creole and a means for representing reality.
Music, sex and violence are themes that naturally surround the use of JC, so the reader (client) unconsciously slides along the continuum.

The article is embedded in an actual dialogue, which took place within a 24 hour period.

-----The guest wrote--------No rules

March 22, 2006
Dear Editor,

I am quite tired, as I am sure many are, of this silly argument to make patois a language. It is even worse if its supporters are graduates of the UWI.

Patois is a short-cut way of speaking with words and sounds derived from our collective heritage of languages. During the mid-60s I asked an English teacher, trained at Mico College, why patois cannot be a language. He said, "One cannot conjugate the verb in patois! If a verb cannot be conjugated there is no language, as language is governed by rules."

Is that not our general problem in Jamaica? We seem bent on rejecting all rules.

------The narrator---------

just reviewed the 1966 JC School Magazine and saw a poem entitled "Stagnant" with ending line "man free". The same issue has a dialogue by Garth White on language and social class, where he states

"it is becoming increasingly evident that one common language we'll never get.
Language can help to provide the key to analysing social structure...this article can show how far different the language of some people is."

He went on..

"I hope it will make JC boys.. realise how far removed they are from the real world of the Jamaican people"

The poem "Stagnant" written by one Norman Hamilton had only one line that could be considered to be influenced by patois, that telling end line. It didn't even have a verb, it was profoundly existential.It did not require action to affirm personality and being. Age and experience bring on better judgment in the main, and impaired physical vision, but prejudiced conservatism is a matter of choice.

To pin the blame on the UWI for according language status on Jamaican Creole is a bit unfair.For one, it is not a blameworthy act. Robert LePage , who died in January this year, was at UWI and initiated Creole studies there, was a British-trained linguist.He left Jamaica nearly 50 years ago. According to Pauline Christie, "Cassidy, .. Le Page's collaborator .., had been born in Jamaica and had spent his early years there. had a deep interest in dialectology. , Philip Sherlock, , passed on to Le Page the entries in a competition which had been organized by the Gleaner newspaper in 1944 for the "best list of dialect words and phrases." These further stimulated his interest."

Perhaps,we see a reason why the seemingly sterile patois debate, is not taking place in the Gleaner. Maybe the Observer now needs to engage in some act of transcendence.The "no language , bad language" analysis that patois is a collection of sounds,reflects a frustration with Jamaica's progress. It is a kind of neurosis, an overgeneralization. As Hamilton sees it, the absence of rules is indicative of a general tendency to breakdown in Jamaica. But Sean Paul doesn't as he "sings?", "care what people say"- he reduplicates with his"woody woody".- using a typical creole/pidgin form,and he makes millions.

Even although patois would seem to be giving poetic licence for free _expression in Hamilton's 1966 "man free", it is its rule-governed nature that makes it easily learned by adults such as "Snow" and Gentleman", who have exploited it and myriad others, just content to experience it.

------The guest wrote----

See how difficult even plain old English is. Nowhere in my statement is there inference of blame to UWI students. I do not remember G. White's article in detail but am sure it was directed to some J. C. boys and not the school body as a whole. To make the matter clear, that statement from G. White's article does not refer to me as G. and myself were best friends in school and still friends today. Of course I am the one who wrote "Stagnant," the quote is a fragment sentence governed by poetic licence.

Norman St. John Hamilton

------The guest wrote------

Just curiosity and I have taken no umbrage to your comments.Did you go to JC, when? Were you there with Jerry Small, G. White and myself? I would like to read my poem and G's article again. Is it online? "Prejudiced conservatism..?" If that reference is to me, as it may be taken, you don't know me at all! This discussion on Patois I first discerned around mid sixties and had nothing to do with UWI to my knowledge then. Never said anything about bad language! Jamaica's progress??? You must be quite young!

The absence of discipline and disrespect for rules, law and order is an absolute factor in Jamaica being the # 1 Murder Capitol in the World today. "Woody, Woody" or Shabba's "Sidown pan it" are irrelevant in this discussion.

Most who have responded so far, have mentioned India and what they have done to become the Call Center of the world, causing employment for their people. Last year I discovered that Sprint has a call center in JA. I think that we need more of them. We cannot turn back Globalization. We can chat Patois all we want, it is still not a formal language. Ah nuh nutten! Just commenting on your comment, not engaging you.

-----The narrator wrote----
This is Robert, Carleen's brother from Charlton Avenue. Iwent to JC 63 to 69.I remember some your Manning Cup heroics.I will scan your poem,and G White's article and mail it to you. My interest is in people learning English, so I support efforts to do this that have a sound research basis. See

www.kingcreole4.blogspot.com
www.kingcreole5.blogspot.com
www.kingcreole6.blogspot.com .

Right now I am promoting some bilingual story computer courseware, to engage kids in constructivist language learning... they would select/draw/photograph their images and record and/or write their text.

With me its just the facts.

I am cynical about the language policy advocates/activists, who haven't taken the time to do the sentence and other text processing experiments, like what happens in a psych lab in a good American university like the one I went to.

They also don't debate detractors.

One of my standard arguments is the Harry Belafonte gambit--today it was Sean Paul, even the basest lyrics can be documented. I don't go any further than that in defining or according language status.

I have been doing the accounting on the patois debate, and the Observer has published letters and articles anti/pro about 3:1. Prof Devonish (of the Jamaican Language Unit at UWI) had some spreads in the papers about 2 years ago, there is a language attitudes survey, which seems to be the main prop for the intervention with the kids. The proposed language policy says if 10% speak something in common, it must be accommodated with a legal right to use and to be dealt with in that tongue.

Your poem should be there in a day or so.

-----The guest wrote----

Well you seem the expert on language. I'll have to absorb you mail again as I was so taken aback when you said who you are. .. I live in Florida, FT. Lauderdale and am now retired from Computers - .. Early retirement

It's so uncanny but since I've written a few letters people I've known from as far back as 1959 have contacted me. The Internet is great and I guess the Observer has a lot of readers. I really don't read the Gleaner. ..

I would love to read that stuff again so thanks, when you have time.

The narrator presented a poem written by the guest 40 years ago.

-----Stagnant-----

Ceremonials
Splendour hung
Pomp displayed.
Excited chords;
Voluble
Buildings defaced
Profess the scene
Paint up!
Why? Royalty?
Divine? Mortal
An answer,
Everlasting quest
Why forget?
No longer theirs.
Forward.
Why reminiscent?
Numb minds,
Ignorant.
Here today So what?
Tomorrow gone
Importance
Distant to me
Drifting dreams
Hypocrisy
Queen? Die
Like all, Gone Forever .
Eternal Father
Do I see?
One People
Man Free.

-----The guest wrote---

Thanks much. I guess Princess Margaret was coming to Town

The narrator presented the article written by a close friend of the guest---40 years ago

-----Conversation----

It is becoming increasingly evident to me that one common language we'll never get. Language can help to provide the key to analysing social structure. While this article, for reasons centred around limited space, can do nothing but show how far different the language of some people is, I hope it will make J.C. boys (the future leaders we like to think) realise how far removed they are from the real world of the Jamaican people.

Storm: Ole man, a go a blues de odda night. Listen no, 'Roundbeat' 'ave chune yu no. 'Im mad man. 'Im ave same chune fe direkly mek yu feel mellow.

Macko: But me no 'ear se yu get eena a lickle trouble?

Storm: So 'im go sometime yu no. Me almos' go a jail, but dem se rude bwoy cyan go a jail no, so me free.

Macko: Is ow it did go?

Storm: Bredda, me a put it awn pon me lickle pigo, Stitch did a play Wailers 'Cry to me' - is a mad chune dat you know - yeh, an me really a feel 'appy. Dis bwoy come up to me an ask me whe mek me ave fe a dance up wid de spree fe de whole night? So me look pon im an sey, "Bredda, a my pigo yu know. A my girlie." Im no start cuss wole eap a bad wud, an a tell me sey, me wan cyan' control up dis ting. Meanwhile im a talk, me a get vex, because me really feel nice yu know man. So de chune done an' me a ole de pigo 'an'. De guy no grab ar an start dance da soun yah, "Good, Good Rudie."

Macko: Da chune de?

Storm: Yes man, an yu know sey dat dey chune wi mek me all jus batter-batter im. 'Im grab de gall an start dance. So she shake im off like, an im start cuss she now. Same time de chune a sey,

Macko: "Rudie gets taller."
"Batonstick get shorter" -
Storm: Yeh, "Rudie gets taller", an one mine Se reng 'im. So me jus go fe me tings an wap im crass im face. Wen a see de blood a jus get med yu know, an a jus start slash-slash afta it. De guy no move afta me sah. Same time de pigo a tell me fe res, but me really couldn' res' den. So de bwoy draw 'im tings to, an really shape afta me. Me decide now Se is war awn. One a we ave fe eider dead or sumpen, but me know seh now me a go cut im up bad. Same time Stitch sey over de mike, "Sensible rude bwoys don't go to jail, sensible rude bwoys don't go to jail." an Nyah Vickman, don't yu know im, dem call im 'Breakbars', im tell me fe res, because de guy de no conscious, is a lickle men bwoy yu know. So me jus res.

Macko: A so dem lickle topannatis bwoy stay yu know. Gwan like dem is bad man 'an dem no rude. Dem no rude! Still a so it go.

Storm: True. A so it go. Sometime me all jus see dem ting dey an jus res' yu know, but da bwoy de did ave fe learn.

Macko: So Babylon come fe yu?

Storm: Yu mad man? Me jus shif de dance wid de pigo an go a-yard.
De nex day me ear sey de guy get eight stitch - but a jus so it go. Nex time im won' fool wid a man. Yu ave fe graph it up under certain cosmic se 'im learn something.

Macko: A de trut dat. Me ave fe move awn yu know Bredda Storm. A 'ave a lickle pigo fe go look up, so is love.
Storm: Yes, is love Bredda Macko, lickle more.


------The guest wrote----

Thanks, this one I do not remember. Funny eh. "Mi tings" in those days was a knife, now it's a NINE.
Do you remember that word "tapanantis." I thought it was "Tapanaris." We were having a conversation and tried to remember the original meaning.

I really don't remember that story by G. White and do change my tune from my original comment. From about '64 we guys used to go to sound system dances. Later they called them lawns. I think that was perhaps something G. White saw and personalized it. We did not necessarily go together.

We, .. used to .. listen to the sound systems and the DJ's. Since I was sorta big, I could get into the dance .. listen to the Skattalites .(Roland Alphanso) Those were the days. Wickedly sweet! Hammo.

----Last rejoinder from the narrator

My dad used to teach Roland Alphanso and Mortimo Planno ..in the forties. I met Planno last year September, and he remembered my dad. Planno died a couple weeks ago.

---The guest---

Yea, Planno was original. When my 'ole man was PM to Busta he sent Planno and a delegation to audience with Selassie
I escorted Selassie as student Rep


Summary

The guest just happened to have respected Garth White as a friend and intellectual, but also had some underlying cultural consciousness.What he has in abundance is honesty. Not many people would restructure in print in such a short time.

Patwa evangelism is not recommended for persons with a sparse knowledge of cultural dynamics, or perspective-taking skills.