Advocacy for the official status of Jamaican Creole (JC) has been ongoing. Since Spanish has been recognised as the official foreign language in Jamaica's Language Education Policy, some factions question why JC has yet to achieve similar recognition. The perceived conflict between Spanish and JC regarding official status is examined through an analysis of newspaper headlines and survey results that reflect certain Jamaicans' views on the language situation in the country. Statements related to JC, Jamaican English (JE), and Spanish are documented, discussed, and analysed through qualitative sentiment analysis. The results based on Jamaicans’ views on JC and JE are highlighted and compared to previous surveys conducted by the Jamaican Language Unit (JLU) at the University of the West Indies. Findings indicate that Jamaicans’ views concerning JC remain relatively consistent across three surveys, alongside the revelation that many Jamaicans are unaware of certain facts regarding Spanish and its role in the broader Jamaican society.

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Officialdom: Spanish versus Jamaican Creole

  • Nadine K. Barnett

摘要

Advocacy for the official status of Jamaican Creole (JC) has been ongoing. Since Spanish has been recognised as the official foreign language in Jamaica's Language Education Policy, some factions question why JC has yet to achieve similar recognition. The perceived conflict between Spanish and JC regarding official status is examined through an analysis of newspaper headlines and survey results that reflect certain Jamaicans' views on the language situation in the country. Statements related to JC, Jamaican English (JE), and Spanish are documented, discussed, and analysed through qualitative sentiment analysis. The results based on Jamaicans’ views on JC and JE are highlighted and compared to previous surveys conducted by the Jamaican Language Unit (JLU) at the University of the West Indies. Findings indicate that Jamaicans’ views concerning JC remain relatively consistent across three surveys, alongside the revelation that many Jamaicans are unaware of certain facts regarding Spanish and its role in the broader Jamaican society.