To get an accurate picture of what English in Jamaica looks like, you need to look at the history of Jamaican languages as well as the current situation. Being one of many English-speaking countries in the world, it is worth studying, especially from a linguistic point of view, because it is one of the few countries in the Caribbean in which standard English and Creole English have been used almost since its colonization. Especially in the Caribbean, in the past there were many colonies in the British Empire - one of them, actually the largest, was Jamaica. Over the past centuries, English has spread throughout the world, primarily thanks to the colonial policies of its homeland: Great Britain. Another important addition is the fact that several hundred million people all over the world have a certain knowledge of the English language, since in 62 countries this language has the status of an official language. However, do not forget that approximately 600 million more people use English as a second language. On this occasion, objections may arise, since about 900 million people speak the Mandarin Chinese language. 500 million people in 12 countries speak this language. In the modern world, English is becoming a universal language. Colonial and Postcolonial Linguistic History of Jamaicaģ.1 Social Function and Role of Standard Jamaican Englishģ.2 Linguistic Features of Standard Jamaican EnglishĤ.1 Social Function and Role of Jamaican CreoleĤ.2 Linguistic Features of English-based Jamaican Creole Although English is the official language of the country, and a variant known as Jamaican English is acknowledged, it is mostly heard only in formal situations, unless one wants to impress with 'speaky-spoky.' Common usage ranges from Jamaican English to broad patois with about three degrees of separation, often within a single speaker's conversation.Ī video about Jamaican, which includes some Jamaican expressions and Jamaican poem.2. Jamaicans' attitudes themselves are very divided over the language they all speak most, if not all, of the time. The speech of the average Jamaican is variously described as a patois or creole, or even as bad English, depending on the degree of pride or disdain of the describer.

Kaman yuusij rienj frahn Jumiekan hInglish to braad patwa wid bout chrii digrii a separieshan, aafn iina di wan piika siem wan kanvasieshan. Alduo hInglish a di hofishal langwij a di konchri, ahn dehn aal ab wa dehn kaal Jumiekan hInglish, a muosli bakra ahn tapanaaris yu hie widi iina hofishal serkl, anles smadi waahn himpres wid piiki-puoki. Jumiekan dem uona hatitiuud divaid uoba di langwij di huol a dem taak di muos, likl muos aal di taim. Information about the Jamaican alphabet and pronunciation compiled by Wolfram Siegelĭownload an alphabet chart for Jamaican (Excel)ĭi habrij Jumiekan di taak wa dehn taak dehn kaali patwa, dehn kaali kriol, ar iivn bad hInglish, askaadn tu ou dehn fiil proud ar kaanful. Some schools in Jamaica use both English and Jamaican as mediums of instruction and have found that children taught in this way tend to achieve better results than those taught only in English. There is no written standard, though increased use of the language in writing, especially in schools, has led to a partial standardisation. Jamaican is used mainly as a spoken language, though has been used to some extent as a literary language for over a century. There are also many speakers in parts of the USA, Canada, Brazil, Costa Rica, Panama, Nicaragua and the UK. Over 4 million people speak Jamaican, most of whom live in Jamaica. It developed during the 17th century and includes significant influences from various dialects of English, especially those of Scotland and Ireland. Jamaican is an English-based Creole with influences from languages of West and Central Africa.

Jamaican to english