Editing Jamaican English (section)

==Language use: Jamaican Standard English versus Patois==

Jamaican Standard English and [[Jamaican Patois]] exist together in a [[post-creole speech continuum]]. Jamaican (Creole/Patois) is used by most people for everyday, informal situations; it is the language most Jamaicans use at home and are most familiar with, as well as the language of most local popular music. Jamaican Patois has begun to be used on the radio as well as the news.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Bryan|first=Beverley|date=2004|title=Jamaican Creole: in the process of becoming|journal=Ethnic and Racial Studies|volume=27|issue=4|pages=641–659|doi=10.1080/01491987042000216753|s2cid=145631532}}</ref> Standard English, on the other hand, is the language of education, [[high culture]], government, the media and official/formal communications. It is also the native language of a small minority of Jamaicans (typically upper-class and upper/traditional middle-class). Most Creole-dominant speakers have a fair command of English and Standard English, through schooling and exposure to official culture and mass media; their receptive skills (understanding of Standard English) are typically much better than their productive skills (their own intended Standard English statements often show signs of Jamaican Creole influence).

Most writing in Jamaica is done in English (including private notes and correspondence). Jamaican Patois has a standardised orthography as well,<ref>Dynamics of orthographic standardisation in Jamaican Creole and Nigerian Pidgin, Dagmar Deuber and Lars Hinrichs, ''World Englishes'' '''26''', No. 1 (February 2007), pp. 22&ndash;47, {{doi|10.1111/j.1467-971X.2007.00486.x}}.</ref> but has only recently been taught in some schools, so the majority of Jamaicans can read and write standard English only, and have trouble deciphering written Patois (in which the writer tries to reflect characteristic structures and pronunciations to differing degrees, without compromising readability). Written Patois appears mostly in literature, especially in folkloristic "dialect poems"; in humoristic newspaper columns; and most recently, on internet chat sites frequented by younger Jamaicans, who seem to have a more positive attitude toward their own language use than their parents.<ref>Lars Hinrichs (2006), ''Codeswitching on the Web: English and Jamaican Patois in E-Mail Communication''. Amsterdam/Philadelphia: Benjamins.</ref>

While, for the sake of simplicity, it is customary{{by whom|date=October 2011}} to describe Jamaican speech in terms of standard English versus Jamaican Creole, a clear-cut [[dichotomy]] does not describe the actual language use of most Jamaicans.{{citation needed|date=October 2011}} Between the two extremes—"broad Patois" on one end of the spectrum, and "perfect" Standard English on the other—there are various in-between varieties. This situation typically results when a Creole language is in constant contact with Standardised English (superstrate or lexifier language) and is called a [[post-creole speech continuum|creole speech continuum]]. The least prestigious (most Creole) variety is called the [[basilect]]; Standard English (or high prestige) variety, the [[acrolect]]; and in-between versions are known as [[mesolect]]s.

Consider, for example, the following forms:

*"im/(h)ihn de/da/a wok úoba désò" (basilect)
*"im workin ova deso" (low mesolect)
*"(H)e (h)is workin' over dere" (high mesolect)
*"He is working over there." (acrolect)

(As noted above, the "r" in "over" is not pronounced in any variety, but the one in "dere" or "there" is.)

Jamaicans choose from the varieties available to them according to the situation. A Creole-dominant speaker may choose a higher variety for formal occasions like official business or a wedding speech, and a lower one for relating to friends; a standard English-dominant speaker is likely to employ a lower variety when shopping at the market than at their workplace. [[Code-switching]] can also be [[Metacommunication|metacommunicative]] (as when a Standard-dominant speaker switches to a more heavily basilect-influenced variety in an attempt at humor or to express solidarity).