It’s the same story — a different year, different characters, but the story remains the same.

It’s sometimes called the Jamaican Patois versus English debate. Other times, it’s called the patois debate. And here we go again: This time, the characters are the Opposition spokesperson on creative industries, culture, and information Nekeisha Burchell and House Speaker Juliet Holness.

On Wednesday, Burchell rose in the House to make her contribution to the sectoral debate. She began by saying, “Madam Speaker, mi git up dis afta noon fi mek mi fuss sectoral speech pon mi porfolia…” Shortly thereafter she was interrupted by the House Speaker, who reminded her about the Standing Orders. The Standing Orders of the House of Representatives (1964) state that, “The proceedings and debates of the House shall be in the English Language,” and “Every petition shall be in the English Language.”

Some linguists may point out that Burchell used the basilectal variety of the Jamaican language. This variety is what some Jamaicans may say is spoken by some St Elizabeth residents.

I support Burchell in starting her presentation in Jamaican Patois, but my first reaction was that it seemed performed or staged. I pointed this out to Hubert Devonish, professor emeritus of linguistics, who said, “Jamaican doesn’t have a parliamentary style since it has never been used in Parliament in this way before. The parliamentarian is creating a parliamentary style for the language. You might not like it, and others might not either, and she will try something else until a norm is developed.”

The professor was also right in pointing out the need to start somewhere. By the way, did you know that the English language was first spoken in the Parliament of England in 1362? Before then, Anglo-Norman French was spoken in that Parliament. In fact, the word Parliament is derived from the French word “parler”, which means “to speak” or “to talk”. In the same way, some time ago, English was considered the language of the educated in Jamaica; French was also the language of the Norman French aristocracy who conquered England in 1066 and ruled it thereafter for centuries.

In Jamaica, this was not the first time Jamaican Patois was used in parliamentary proceedings. Remember when Opposition Leader Mark Golding was chided for his use of “respek due”. Burchell’s use of the Jamaican language in Parliament is also in line with her political party’s stance on its officialisation, and is a reflection of the modern-day perception of the language.

From the 1930s to early 1970s, the perception of the Jamaican language was mainly that it was bad English and people who spoke patois were uneducated. With Independence, national pride, and so forth, the perception of the Jamaican language has become more positive, but not everyone is accepting of it as a language in its own right. Some people still believe that it’s not a language, and the people advocating for its officialisation should just stop talking.

Whatever your belief, moments like the one created by Burchell in Parliament are a step towards officialisation. The Jamaican language is spoken by the majority of Jamaicans in Jamaica and the Diaspora. It’s an identity marker. On the streets of Rome, an artist told me that he knew the Jamaican language. I was intrigued and stopped to hear what he had to say, only to hear him blurt out a popular Jamaican profanity and laugh at my expression. My response was that of shock and disappointment. He was satisfied because he knew the effect such an outburst would have on me.

We spoke a bit after and he told me how much he liked hearing the Jamaican Patois. It’s moments like these that remind me how some foreigners view our language. Many Jamaicans will agree that when travelling overseas people want to hear them speak.

Jamaicans are considered by some to be bilingual, yet Jamaica continues to deny the widespread use of the language in official proceedings in formal domains like Parliament. And yes, the Jamaican language is used on the campaign trail during elections. It is also used to hurl insults across the aisle during House sittings, but it is not considered an option for formal presentations. How dare Burchell!

Burchell’s presentation is perhaps another sign that it’s time for Jamaica to take the conversation to the next level. The officialisation of Jamaican Patois alongside English is inevitable. After all, it’s the mother tongue of the majority of Jamaicans and should be recognised in an official capacity.

Let’s now move on from questioning whether we should officialise the language to determining how we will do it and the steps we should take to make Jamaican Patois stand alongside English in Jamaica.

“Fly di gate!” This time, it is not the pirate you will be letting in, but the language of the majority.

Dr Nadine McLeod is a communication strategist and multi-award-winning broadcast journalist. She is also an adjunct senior lecturer at the Caribbean Institute of Media and Communication (Carimac) at The University of the West Indies, Mona campus. Send comments to the Jamaica Observer or nadinemcleod7777@gmail.com.

Nadine McLeodl

Jamaican Patois is yet to be accepted in formal settings.online