THE EDITOR, Sir:

By an accident of history, Jamaicans have inherited English, one of the world's great languages, as a birthright. It is the major language of science and technology, international trade and the internet; it also has a great literature, and is the repository of some of the world's most influential philosophies. But I do not think it is widely perceived as the major asset that it is.

India acknowledges that their possession of it is a factor in their emerging success. China is rushing to acquire it. In parts of Latin America people walk miles at night with bottle lamps to learn it. Yet, according to recent media reports, our schools are failing miserably in teaching it. This failure seems to be due, in part, to Jamaican attitudes to this language.

Beautiful accent

Yet English is as Jamaican as ackee and saltfish. We speak it with our own beautiful accent. There are Jamaican words like 'Rastafarian' , 'reggae' and 'dreadlocks' in the Oxford English Dictionary, and linguists tell me that words like 'stupidness', 'grudgefulness' and 'upliftment' are Jamaican coinages. Garvey scholars tell us that his command of English was a factor in his international success. Bob Marley was prudent enough to write most of his lyrics in Jamaican-flavoured English. Many of our writers have won international awards for their contributions to the literature of English, and I predict that it is only a matter of time before one of them wins a Nobel Prize.

It is, of course, important to study and value Jamaican creole. The scientific and philosophical study of it can add to our self-knowledge, and surely such knowledge should be one of the aims of every educational system, and especially one in a post-colonial society. Knowledge of its structure and phonology gives students a basis for comparisons with English, and this can aid their learning of English.

Positive attitude

Furthermore, there is research evidence that students who have a positive attitude to their first language find it easier to learn others. Jamaican creole also has a growing literature which can serve as a mirror in which students can see themselves reflected.

Since I am not a linguist, I am not qualified to say if Jamaican creole is a dialect of English or an independent language. But I know that most of its words are of English origin, and that F.G. Cassidy and R.B. LePage, two of the foremost scholars who have studied it, titled one of their books Dictionary of Jamaican English. So there is a close connection.

It seems to me, Sir, that we should take great care to nourish this goose that has the power to lay golden eggs.

I am, etc.,

EARL McKENZIE

UWI, Mona