I was practicing the audio component, for creating an E-book for one of my lessons. I was using one of my younger cousin's voices, I mimicked what she had to say, she looked at me in utmost confusion, she said, “...but Mandy, you are speaking 'badly'.” By “badly” she meant, I was asking her to do the forbidden! Speak as she calls it “Dialect.” O the horror!!
“It is the nature of the West Indian Creole-influenced language situation that is responsible ...for the language education problem at the ...school level.” (Craig (1999) 23).
Creolists have worked at gaining recognition for Creole languages as autonomous languages in their own right and not mere “broken” or “bastardised” versions of a European colonial language.
In our Trinidadian classrooms there is an existence of two codes, Standard English, the official of education and Trinidadian Creole. Whenever the Creole is used as a language of instruction, the result is almost always a negative reaction. It is believed that even though the official code receives attention in the teaching and learning scenario not enough attention is given to the Creole even though it is the native language of the majority of speakers.
It is not a question of whether which language is good or bad; right or wrong, it is our aim as teachers of literacy to give students the opportunities to use both codes BUT teach them to CODE SWITCH. They need to be aware of the uses of both codes; it is only then a balance can be achieved. I believe teachers’ language attitudes towards Creole usage in the classroom, need to be examined, in order to put an end to this stereotype.
I wish to thank you for this post.I have long been advocating the following.
ReplyDelete1. As educators, we need to understand the difference between the creole and standard english, both of which are broken form of english. Then and only then can they begin to appreciate and see the importance of the creole . This is our first language and we caanno throw it away.With this language, ther are no rules to learn as in standard english.SO don't condenm it use it as a teaching tool.
2. Switchin codes is an effective strategy that can and have been used sucessfully to teach creole and standard english.Howwever, again many teachers do not understand the creole and the rules associated with standard english and this may challenging.
Thank you for your comment Roxanne.
ReplyDeleteCreole is a language in its own right. It has grammatical structure and rules for formation. It is not necessarily about teaching the Creole because the children come into our classrooms speaking it. What we teach is the language of academia, the standard form of English.
It is important to meet our learners at the point at which they are in order to spark change.