Raga, mi son, is Miss Lou
Published:Sunday | September 12, 2010 | 12:00 AM
Carolyn Cooper, Contributor
Lawks, mi pikni, wat happen? Wa mek yu a mek so much people a throw word pon yu? Mi know yu back broad an yu know how fi juggle. But still! Mind yu pop down. Word-stone lik hot. Yu tink a lickle blows mi tek inna fi mi time? An mi never a gwaan bad like yu. Raga, man, why yu doan behave yuself? An yu know better. Miss Cherry try her best wid yu.
My Aunty Roachy seh dat is not everyting good fi eat good fi talk. No tell mi seh yu no member Aunty Roachy. Mi figet seh unu a pikni even doah unu a gwaan like seh unu know everyting. From way back inna di miggle a di 1960s come up to early inna di 1980s, mi did have one programme pon radio, 'Miss Lou's Views'. Mi always a talk bout fi mi Aunty Roachy.
Mi son, dem fight down di programme, yu see. Hear weh one facety smaddy did write inna THE STAR pon December 16, 1971: "Admittedly, the greater part of our population uses the dialect but that should not be good grounds for our radio stations to stuff so much raw 'Patois English' into our ears daily. Take for example 'Miss Lou's Views' - such a programme should be scrapped as it tends to perpetuate ignorance."
Dat no sound like some a di people dem weh so glad university scrap 'Ragashanti Live'? DWL. Yu tink mi too old fi know bout textin? Just go bout yu business. If is egg, mi inna di red. Anyhow, Raga, mek mi warn yu. Mi naa go inna dat deh long-time story fi gi yu no strength wid yu out-a-orderness.
Language sweet
Di language a one ting. Wat yu seh inna di language is a nex ting. Mi know. Sometime di wicked people dem try fi confuse up di ting. Dem bex bout di language, an dem a use wa yu seh as excuse fi cramp yu style. But, Raga, yu kyaan gi dem no ammunition fi use gainst yu. My Aunty Roachy seh yu fi member yu Bible lesson. Yu ha fi wise like serpent an harmless like ground dove.
Fi wi language sweet!
Den mi hear seh one nex radio station a go put yu awn inna di afternoon, same time wid Miss Kitty, fi unu fight it out over di advertising dollar. Wo yoi! Mi heart dis a go boop, boop, boop! Wat a ting when di cock a di walk an di kitty tek over radio inna di big, bright afternoon! Unu better member seh pikni come home from school dem deh time. Do, beg unu tek it easy!
Mi sorry fi poor Marse Cordel an di Broadcasting Commission! Dem have dem work cut out. Cordel Green is a nice, deestant young man. Im naa fight gainst fi wi Jamaica culture. Im dis a stand up fi principle. An mi no want unu pitch im down. Unu fi gwaan use unu heartical language. But mind weh unu seh. Fi wi language sweet! No bodder sour it up.
To tell di truth, mi did tink seh di war woulda done all now. Everybody shoulda did know from long time seh fi wi Jamaica language a sopn fi mek wi lif up wi head. Wi African ancestor dem refuse fi mek di coloniser dem beat out di African language dem out a dem head. An dem dis tek up di English an twist it an turn it fi suit demself. Like potter a shape up clay. An dem mek one beautiful work a art.
Tired argument
Wi talk like how wi athlete dem run: to di world. But inna 2010, mi a hear di same long-time, tired argument from way back when. Fi wi language no good enough fi export. Hear wa one next out-a-order smaddy did write bout fi mi radio programme inna THE STAR pon January 13, 1972:
"In foreign countries we Jamaicans are considered the worse spoken of all people, yet there are thousands of various nationals who come here for their education, their slang and tone is quite different they all adopt the genuine way. This Miss Lou programme, is slowly destroying our young ambassadors of this great land."
Yu see di bogus punctuation! Disya smaddy no even know how fi use comma an full stop, an bright enuff fi a tek step wid fi wi Jamaica language. Bout English genuine an wi a counterfeit. Oxford English Dictionary seh 'genuine' come from di root word 'gen' weh mean 'to beget, be born.' Fi wi language genuine. It inna wi genes.
So, Raga, go read weh Aunty Roachy seh. Yu never know seh Aunty Roachy inna book? Mi ha fi thank Professor Mervyn Morris who retire now from University a di West Indies. Im write down plenty a 'Miss Lou's Views' inna one book weh im call Aunty Roachy Seh. An yu see dem long-time THE STAR article weh mi a gwaan like seh mi member? Is Professor Mervyn write dem down inna fi im introduction to mi Selected Poems.
Raga, a word to di wise is sufficient. Mek mi lef yu wid these few words from Lewd Song: "Aunty Roachy seh she know dat dere is certain tings eena human beins' life dat no human bein naw go call dung crowd fi look pon, nor bawl out pon top a dem mout an tell everybody bout." Yu no fi talk out everyting weh yu eat.
An, Raga, wa yu chat pon di mike fi yu birthday bashment, yu kyaan broadcast nationwide pon radio.
When mi fos start perform mi poem dem, one ignorant smaddy did bawl out at one a mi show, "A dat yuh modder sen yuh a school fa?" Well, tiday, dem a study mi book dem inna school - from primary go right up a university.
Carolyn Cooper, PhD, is a public intellectual specialising in cultural enterprise management. Send feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com or karokupa@gmail.com.