CAPE Communication Studies Module 2

Caribbean Standard English

An accepted standard of English developed in the Caribbean. It is as much a

standard English as is British Standard English, American Standard English,

Australian Standard English and Nigerian Standard English. CSE differs from

other Standard Englishes primarily on the phonological and lexical levels, with no

appreciable difference in grammar, particularly in the formal written mode

Lexical differences can be found generally in the areas of body parts, clothing,

food/drink and cultural beliefs. Some peculiar CSE expressions are: maubi, roti,

obeah, parang, cut your eye at somebody, suck your teeth

In terms of phonology, the international patterns of CSE vary within the

Caribbean territories as well as from other standard Englishes.

Caribbean Creole

A language with a lexical base primarily from a European language but with a

grammar that is non-European in many respects. Caribbean English Creoles

(CEC) therefore have English as their lexical base. An example of a Creole with a

French lexical base is St. Lucian Kwéyòl. The grammars of these Creoles are in

some respects patterned on their West African sources. An example is the

predicative use of adjectives, as in 'mi siki' 'mwen malad'.

code-switch

Move between varieties of language within a single utterance or in a conversation,

for example, I went late to the market and mi no get no food. In this utterance, the

speaker moves from Standard English I went to Creole mi no get no food.

Creole

A native language which has its beginnings in situations of contact where groups

of people who did not share a common language were forced to communicate with

each other.

Creole-influenced vernacular

A form of social communication that is in routine, widespread use in certain

communities, for example, Barbados, and that is influenced by some features of a

Creole.

dialect

A regional or social variety of a language, usually noticeable through features of

vocabulary and pronunciation and, to a lesser extent, grammar. Within English,

several regional dialects can be identified, such as British English, American

English, Nigerian English, Australian English and Caribbean English. Jamaican,

Bajan, Belize Kriol and Trinidadian Creole are dialects of Caribbean Creole.

Within Caribbean territories, there is further dialectal variation.

language

System of communication that combines sounds, symbols, or gestures according to a set of rules about word order and meaning

idiomatic expression

An idiomatic expression is a saying or phrase with a figurative rather than a

literal meaning, which cannot be worked out from the meaning of the component

words. Examples of idiomatic expressions in English are rain cats and dogs,

kick the bucket, not my cup of tea.

Idiomatic expressions in Caribbean Creole include to kiss/suck teeth, to cut your

eye (at someone)

international language

(Also referred to as global language.) A language that serves as a lingua franca

for peoples whose native languages are different. Of the world's 6,000 or so

known languages, three (English, Spanish and French) are generally considered

as international languages. For example, at the Olympics, which generally

enjoys the participation of many countries, hundreds of different languages are

informally spoken, but all formal communication generally occurs in these three

international languages: English, Spanish and French, apart from the official

language of the host country.

national language

(Also referred to as native language or mother tongue.) A language the

government recognises as having major significance in the social life of a nation.

This might mean the government would allow one or more national languages to

be used in education. Some countries have several national languages. For

example, India recognises some 14 national languages; and Belize recognises

five national languages. What is considered as an official language in one

country (for example, Spanish in Mexico) may be used as a national language in

another country (for example, Spanish in Belize).

official language

A language used in official situations for legal, educational, government, and

other formal communication purposes. Some countries recognise two or more

official languages. For example, Canada recognises English and French, India

recognises English and Hindi, and Haiti Haitian Creole and French.

pre-verbal particle markers

A word that systematically comes before a verb and modifies the latter's

meaning by specifying the general time and nature of its action. For example, in

the phrase does teach, does is a pre-verbal particle that specifies present time,

emphasis and regularity of occurrence in the meaning of the verb in most

Caribbean English Creoles.

register

the range of language choices available for use in different situations

standard language

The variant of a language that a country's political and intellectual elite seek to promote as the norm for use in schools, government, the media, and other aspects of public life

style

A person's distinctive way of speaking or writing that arises from factors such as

pronunciation, word choice and sentence structure.

vernacular

The everyday language of people in a region or country

Sanskrit

(Hinduism) an ancient language of India (the language of the Vedas and of Hinduism)

Oldest written language

pidgin

A form of speech that adopts a simplified grammar and limited vocabulary of a lingua franca; used for communications among speakers of two different languages.

lingua franca

A language mutually understood and commonly used in trade by people who have different native languages.

slang

A type of language that consists of words and phrases that are regarded as very informal, are more common in speech than writing, and are typically restricted to a particular context or group of people

Erudite English

English that attempts to impress the hearer/reader through the use of complex words and expressions

superstrate

prestigious, higher language

Decreolization

When a creole becomes more like its superstrate due to social pressures.

The process by which a creole becomes more like its coexisting standard language.

Creole Continuum

the range of creole forms, extending from the variety that shows the least influence from the standard language from which the creole arose to the variety that shows the most influence.

Nation Language

used to identify the vernacular of a people and acknowledge its importance in the context of the history, character and culture of each nation

Lexicon

(n.) a dictionary of a language; the special vocabulary of a person, group, or subject; a compendium

prestige

a high standing achieved through success or influence or wealth etc.

Acrolect

the most prestigious dialect of a given language or a language spoken in a specific region or country

Basilect

Part of the creole continuum - the most colloquial, least prestigious form most removed from the superstrate

Mesolect

A term used in creole studies to refer to the intermediate variety between basilect and acrolect. See also creole continuum.

Calques

Translate a foreign or source language structure literally into the target language

Hypercorrection

an attempt to be overly "correct" resulting in the production of language different from the standard ("between Harlan and I" instead of "between Harlan and me")

Copula

joining together, linking

Jargon

Special words or expressions that are used by a particular profession or group and are difficult for others to understand

Characteristics of Language

language is characterized as human, verbal, symbolic, systematic (non-arbitrary), maturational, non-instinctive (naturally acquired) and dynamic

Purpose of Language

language fulfills one of five purposes which are such as persuasive, informative, expressive, directive, social, identifying, ritual, providing aesthetic pleasure, metalinguistic

Metalinguistic (purpose of language)

the use of language to comment on, refer to or discuss language itself

Aesthetic (purpose of language)

using language for pleasure or to elicit empathic responses

Ritual (purpose of language)

Ceremonial and religious traditions also involve the use of language that has a ritual function and offers its users the possibility of exercising control over certain aspects of their lives.

Persuasive (purpose of language)

Presenting reasons and examples to influence action or thought.

Informative (purpose of language)

used to convey ideas, truth statements, instructions, abstract and complex propositions and to aid understanding.

Expressive (purpose of language)

allows for the use of emotive language that communicates and evokes feelings and attitudes

Directive (purpose of language)

aimed at provoking a response from an audience

Social (purpose of language)

used simply to establish or maintain contact among people

Identifying (purpose of language)

the use of slogans, chants, anthems, nicknames and other terms that allow for expression of personal or group identity

linguistics

the scientific study of the structure, sounds, and meaning of language

syntax

The arrangement of words and phrases to create well-formed sentences in a language.

palatalization

insertion of the palatal [y] after [k] and [g] sounds..

Standard English uses palatalization before [u], for example, cube, cure, pupil, duke.

metalinguistic

Is the ability to think and talk about language as language.

Frozen Register

used in formulaic expression

Formal Register

used in public speeches, formal occasions and in formal written communication

Consultative Register

used for communication in a professional or business transaction

Casual/Informal Register

used with casual acquaintances, peers and colleagues but not close friends

Intimate Register

used with family members and close friends

Private Register

used to express personal impressions, musings, self talk and reflection

Aspect

differentiations between a habitual, continual or completed action or state of affairs.

Euphamism

An indirect, less offensive way of saying something that is considered unpleasant

Front Focusing

this means highlighting one element of the sentence by placing it at the beginning.

marginalisation

refers to the manner in which certain segments of society "find themselves as social outcast on the borders of society; consistent with Becker's labelling theory

unification

the act of creating a whole made from other parts

culture

the common practices and beliefs held by a specific group

technology

the technical means (the object systems or techniques) that people used to improve their surroundings

interactive communication

the generation of meaning through exchanges using a range of contemporary tools, transmissions and processes

orthography

a method of representing the sounds of a language by written or printed symbols

code mixing

the use of two different languages at the same time