Carolyn Cooper | US gov’t doing business in our language

Last Tuesday, I discovered that the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) is way ahead of government agencies in Jamaica. The Jamaican language is one of the options that can be used to submit an application to the Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) for school meals. I immediately got in touch with Dr Joseph Farquharson, head of the Jamaican Language Unit (JLU) at The University of the West Indies, Mona, to ask if he knew about this development. He certainly did.

Joseph referred me to Professor Hubert Devonish, founder of the Unit, who had translated the FNS application form into Jamaican. I don’t know how this missed me. I thought I’d been keeping up with the innovative work of the JLU. I quickly emailed Hubert to ask who had commissioned the translation and if he had published an account of the process and its impact. He promised to research the matter.

I also contacted the USDA to find out how many people had taken advantage of the application form in Jamaican. In less than an hour, I got a response from a spokesperson who said they would investigate the matter. By the way, ‘they/them/their’ are gender-neutral pronouns that can now be used in the singular. They soon confirmed that, “... the household application PDF document available at https://www.fns.usda.gov/sites/default/files/cnd/school_appfillable_jam-... has been clicked on nearly 1,400 times from the day it was published 7/16/2016 through today 8/24/23. However, FNS does not have any data on their use.”

‘PRAPA-PRAPA’ VERSUS ‘CHAKA-CHAKA’

I suspect that the Jamaican language hasn’t been used all that often to actually submit an application for FNS assistance. Understandably, Hubert used the specialist writing system designed by the linguist Frederic Cassidy and slightly modified by the JLU. It is not widely known in Jamaica, much less in the diaspora. This is the first line of the form: “Ou Yu fi sen iin an get Frii an Kot Prais Fuud ina Skuul: Wi a Shuo Yu Ou fi Dwiit.”

I’ve been trying once a month to teach the specialist writing system for the Jamaican language. I use two parallel systems for the column in Jamaican: ‘Chaka-Chaka’ on the left; ‘Prapa-Prapa’ on the right. My ‘Chaka-Chaka’ spelling is based on the notoriously erratic writing system of English. ‘Chaka-Chaka’ is one of those compound words in the Jamaican language that come straight from West Africa. It means disorderly and irregular. A perfect description of English spelling! The first line of the FNS form could be spelled like this in ‘Chaka-Chaka’: How Yu fi send een an get Free an Cut Price Food inna School: Wi a Show Yu How fi Dweet.

I informally use the label ‘Prapa-Prapa’ for the Cassidy/JLU writing system, designed by linguists, not amateurs. I hope adventurous readers will teach themselves ‘Prapa-Prapa’ spelling by comparing it with ‘Chaka-Chaka.’ Reading out loud helps to make sense of the unfamiliar spelling. Some readers tell me they’re catching on. Others announce with great pride that they don’t even bother with ‘Chaka-Chaka.’ They go straight to ‘Prapa-Prapa.’

LEARNING IN THE MOTHER TONGUE

I shouldn’t have to be teaching the official writing system for the Jamaican language in a newspaper column. It should be on the primary school curriculum. It is such a tragedy that the Ministry of Education does not take the Jamaican language seriously enough. It is the first language of many primary school students. They should be taught to be literate in the language. It must not be devalued as a purely oral form of communication.

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) posted an instructive article on its website, headlined “Why mother language-based education is essential”. It makes a compelling case: “UNESCO Research shows that education in the mother tongue is a key factor for inclusion and quality learning, and it also improves learning outcomes and academic performance. This is crucial, especially in primary school to avoid knowledge gaps and increase the speed of learning and comprehension.”

The article asserts, “And most importantly, multilingual education based on the mother tongue empowers all learners to fully take part in society. It fosters mutual understanding and respect for one another and helps preserve the wealth of cultural and traditional heritage that is embedded in every language around the world.”

PATTERSON REPORT

One of the failings of the much-celebrated report The Reform of Education in Jamaica, 2021, prepared by the commission led by Orlando Patterson, is its noisy silence on the contested issue of bilingual education. I’ve skimmed through the 346-page report and the 76-page executive summary and haven’t found a single reference to the subject. Unfortunately, the documents do not appear to be searchable.

Both reports cite the UNESCO declaration that “Children do not only have the right to be in school, but also to learn while there, and to emerge with the skills they need to find secure, well-paid work.” But children who know only the Jamaican language cannot learn if they are initially taught exclusively in English. Bilingual education is essential.

The JLU has translated primary textbooks into Jamaican and given the curriculum materials to the Ministry of Education. Why are they not being used? Do the powers that be want to keep on producing an underclass of illiterate and innumerate citizens? To whose benefit? Thousands of children will soon be entering primary school. We owe it to them and ourselves to ensure that they emerge with essential life skills. Otherwise, they will end up with no prospect of legal employment. A word to the wise is sufficient.

Carolyn Cooper, PhD, is a teacher of English language and literature and a specialist on culture and development. Send feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com and karokupa@gmail.com