The Editor, Sir:

I would like to respond to the Letters of the Day for July 7 and July 9, both of which continue the debate about language sparked off by the Patois Bible project.

I was impressed with Dr Kouwenberg's letter. I felt it contributed significantly to the current language debate, particularly concerning the role of the mother tongue. At the same time, Mr Evan's response expressed the concerns about our mother tongue, Patois, which continue to raise doubts and questions in many minds.

Dr Kouwenberg's letter gives us hope. It puts our doubts and fears in perspective by indicating ways in which we need to change our approach to language learning in order to achieve the results we all desire. Her personal experience reminds us that we are all capable of becoming proficient in more than one language. In other words, the Patois-speaking Jamaican child can become fluent in English, and in Spanish, French or Russian if he/she so chooses.

Multilingual fluency

Perhaps the most significant point arising from her letter is this: The way to achieve multilingual fluency is to begin where the child is; begin with what the child already knows - that is, the mother tongue. Whether we like it or not, Patois is the mother tongue of most of our children. We cannot ignore the mother tongue in the education process. This is a universal principle, tested and proven all over the world.

Here in Jamaica, our children will continue to experience academic weakness and failure until we apply the bilingual approach to education in an all-out, systematic way. This is the way to ensure that our children become as fluent in English as they are in Patois.

I am, etc.,

FAITH LINTON

Cranbrookflowerforest@gmail.com

PO Box 47, St Ann's Bay