Jamaican Creole: A Brief Diachronic Study of its Syntax
Although the varieties of English spoken in the Caribbean have always aroused a lot of academic interest, the peculiar use of language in Jamaica has lately caught the attention of the general public. Specialists as well as laymen are interested in the work of well- known singers, writers and poet...
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| Formato: | Tesis |
| Lenguaje: | Inglés |
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Universidad de Belgrano - Facultad de Lenguas y Estudios Extranjeros - Traductorado Público, Literario y Científico-Técnico de Inglés
2015
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| Acceso en línea: | http://repositorio.ub.edu.ar/handle/123456789/5186 |
| Aporte de: |
| Sumario: | Although the varieties of English spoken in the Caribbean have always aroused a lot of academic interest,
the peculiar use of language in Jamaica has lately caught the attention of the general public. Specialists
as well as laymen are interested in the work of well- known singers, writers and poets who have
contributed to spread the language of ordinary people in ordinary situations well beyond the Caribbean. Local
variation is rich and profuse: one single variety is not restricted to just one socio-economic layer; the same
speaker seems to fluctuate through a wide range of options. This situation makes any type of linguistic
study challenging due to its inherent complexity and therefore this paper has been restricted to just one
specific area of research : syntactic change.
In the present paper I will carry out a qualitative, diachronic analysis across lects of four selectively
chosen passages in Jamaican Creole or Patois (henceforward JamC ) in order to study the diachronic
changes in its syntax in the twentieth century. I will also try to offer a tentative explanation for the causes of
the changes as well as my perception of the linguistic situation in Jamaica (i.e. Creole continuum, decrolization,
diglossia) .
This study will only consider syntactic variation but will necessarily include some morphological aspects
directly connected with syntax, such as the pronominal system and pluralization. I will not consider the
syntax and morphology of Rastafarian speech for reasons of space and complexity.
The analysis of the four passages will be preceded by a brief description of the linguistic history of
Jamaica |
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