Desrine Cayol, Contributor

AS A specialist in translation theory with an avid interest in Caribbean culture and Creole languages, I would like to add my grain of salt to the debate regarding the 'Patois Bible project'.

The term 'Patois', of French origin, meaning 'rough speech', generally has negative connotations. So the very title of the article - 'Patois Bible' - would have undoubtedly stirred emotions. Although most Jamaicans use the term 'Patois' to describe their language, linguists refer to our dialect as Jamaican Creole (JC).

Like many Jamaicans, I 'instinctively' argued against the need to teach Creole in Jamaican schools. I believed that it was unnecessary, as it would not be useful outside the country. I argued that the main aim should be to attain mastery of English, the international language of commerce and trade. As Professor Hubert Devonish reasonably purports, "Why do the people in Finland learn Finnish or those in Sweden learn Swedish? Where are they going to use it". The point is valid: developed nations, whether large or small, teach their people their native language. They value their unique linguistic heritage.

Linguistic uniqueness

We must realise that people as far as Japan study Jamaican culture. What we so eagerly desire to reject they eagerly desire to acquire. Many of the books on the culture and language of the Caribbean region are written by outsiders who study us like a special and rare specimen, yet we view ourselves as a degenerate, 'uncivilised', bastard offspring of the 'civilised' world. We are reluctant to celebrate our cultural and linguistic uniqueness.

So to Elaine McDonald who deems the project nonsense in her Gleaner article dated Sunday, June 22, I say, give it some rational thought. To those who say people will merely go to church to get a bellyful of laughter from listening to a Bible written in Creole, I ask, when we communicate with each other on a daily basis in Creole, is it merely for a bellyful of laughter? On the GoLocal Community discussion forum, someone regarded the project as a death wish. I deem it our liberation.

Yes, the money can be used for other ventures, but so can the money that other private organisations attribute to causes they deem worthy to pursue. It is entirely the choice of the Bible Society of the West Indies to allocate its funds for a cause it deems worthy (and I dare say 'divinely ordained').

No, it is not a backward step. All moves to standardise the language will help the nation. I refer my readers to the ably written article by my colleague, Dr Rohan Lewis, from the University of Technology which appeared in last Sunday's edition of The Gleaner regarding the success attained in standardising languages through Biblical translations. As translation specialists, Dr Lewis and I know that Biblical translations have historically played an integral role in the assertion of smaller nation states and in the recognition of lesser known national languages.

Standardise the language

At first, my main concern regarding the project was the form of language to be adopted as there is no commonly accepted standardised system of orthography. The Cassidy system is being purported by academics. However, the general populace is unfamiliar with it and as such the lay person writes the language in a phonological manner as exemplified by Michael Dunn's Gleaner article on the issue in which he wrote 'gal pon di corna'. As this project focuses on the audio and not the written, this problem is not an immediate one.

We are finally accepting that despite Jamaica's being labelled English-speaking, it is truly Creole-speaking. This acceptance will give the needed thrust forward to help our fellowmen master the English language. I agree with Clive Forrester of the UWI and so many others who for years have been advocating recognition of Jamaican Creole as our mother tongue and as such English as a second language in Jamaica. Our education system would benefit greatly from a formal acceptance of this truth. I thereby challenge the view of my boss, Dr Carol Fider, who questioned the purpose it would serve.

The Indo-European languages (such as English, French, Portuguese, German or Spanish) that we deem solely capable of expressing the full gamut of our emotions were once dialects. Let us build Jamaica, the land we say we love and not let others have to show us how to.

Desrine Cayol is a faculty member in the department of English and modern languages at Northern Caribbean University