The Editor, Sir:

I was reading your online edition and saw the letter entitled, 'Keep patois at bay'. I am American and was married to a Jamaican man for eight years. I lived briefly in Jamaica and had a hard time understanding people there. Though they spoke English, it was a type of Jamaican/English patois that was very difficult to interpret.

When my husband moved back to the United States with me, he had a very difficult time getting jobs and being able to communicate with people, in general, because of his accent and the patois he used.

Great difficulty

Now his son, my stepson, is here going to school and he is having great difficulty communicating in school with friends and getting an after-school job because of his accent and patois. I understand it is important to keep one's culture, but not speaking or writing good English can be a very big hindrance to those who wish to come to the United States or communicate with those from other countries.

Maybe young people should think about what has been said and take it into consideration if they want a future in international business or immigrating to the United States. Language creates a big problem if it is not communicated effectively.

I am, etc.,

JUDY THOMAS

jlthomas0@excite.com