THE EDITOR, Sir:
THE FOLLOWING should be noted in reference to the results of a survey conducted by the Jamaica Language Unit at UWI, Mona - that a majority of people surveyed, think parliamentarians should deliver speeches in Patois and that it should be used or recognised in schools and made official.
1. Patois is a spoken form of communication and does not have any (that I know of) set spelling or grammatical structure of a written language.
2. Whether it is liked or not, the use of Patois in a formal setting has a negative connotation. The user of Patois in a formal setting is not perceived in a positive way.
3. The current state of education is often decried. The accepted use of Patois in schools and formal settings will not help to raise education standards among those who need it most, nor will it aid their economic upliftment.
It is undisputed that Patois is the unofficial or local 'Jamaican Language'. Let it remain as is, until such time when true literacy among the populace is 95 per cent or more and when the percentage of Jamaicans who secure tertiary education is well above 50 per cent.
I am, etc.,
SALDENE McKENZIE LYTE
stillislandgirl@yahoo.com
Montego Bay
Via Go-Jamaica
