Recognition of Jamaican as a language

Dr Karla Washington

This week Dr Karla Washington and I have been preparing for our Jamaican speech acquisition project. We are having Skype calls with Prof. Hubert Devonish from the Jamaican Language Unit, and Kwesi, the only speech and language pathologist who works in the public sector in Jamaica (there are approx. 5 other SLPs who work in private practice).

Jamaican (also called Jamaican Creole, and Patois/Patwa) is spoken by all Jamaicans, yet has only been recognized as a legitimate language for about 10 years. The Jamaican Language Unit has advocated for and supported the recognition of the use of Jamaican in schools and society. Prof. Devonish was interviewed about this in 2010: http://www.jamaicans.com/speakja/patoisarticle/JamaicanPatoisLanguage-2.shtml

One exciting project that is almost complete is the publication of the "Jiisaz Buk": the New Testament written in Jamaican.It will be released on Jamaican Independence Day, 6th August. The BBC recently released a video story about the importance of this publication to the Jamaican people: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-16289048
Yet, here is an audio news story outlining the controversy about the Jamaican Bible, and recognition of the Jamaican language: http://news.bbc.co.uk/today/hi/today/newsid_9663000/9663844.stm