Patois has its value

THE EDITOR, Madam:

An article in the New York Times by Simon Romero: ‘A patois revival: Jamaica weighs language change as ties to Britain fray’ gave some familiar overview of the Jamaican language environment and the kind of almost unconscious tension that exists towards its full acceptance.

According to the article, the accelerated interest in having the Jamaican language elevated to official status is in keeping with recent plans to cut ties with the British monarchy and ditch all relics of colonialism. If that is so, it wouldn’t argue much for the essential value of patois. That would be like someone casting pearls into the rubbish bin because their enemy gifted them to them, or, a man bent on razing a house that was bequeathed to him by his former oppressor, for no other reason than that he was a slave driver.

And so the gift becomes tarnished by the imperfections of the giver. That is not to say there may not be equally good pearls around such as the Jamaican creole, or monuments such as its cultural entrenchment, but to suddenly link the revived interest in the Jamaican creole to an urgent move to decolonise is unfortunate.

Patois must have, and has its own internal value.

HOMER SYLVESTER

Bronx, New York