tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5721764849953624382.post1581872002734209244..comments2010-10-22T20:04:23.023-05:00Comments on Flagitious Offscourings: How Jamaica should be more like SwitzerlandAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00376014444819653122noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5721764849953624382.post-22492232160975523282010-10-22T20:04:23.023-05:002010-10-22T20:04:23.023-05:00All teachers should be aware of this in Jamaica. T...All teachers should be aware of this in Jamaica. The fact that there is no "passive voice" in creole is a stumbling block to understanding. To Creole speakers a passive sentence in Standard English often denotes culpabiity - when the very opposite is intended.<br />How many years did it take Switzerland to arrive at this peaceful situation?Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07593691340781312647noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5721764849953624382.post-19246707938459720832010-10-15T18:20:42.332-05:002010-10-15T18:20:42.332-05:00Absolutely! Switzerland is one of the classic cas...Absolutely! Switzerland is one of the classic cases of diglossia - along with Haiti, Arabic speaking countries - where there is an L (for low) language and a H(high) occupying different functions in the society. Jamaicans are like this too - think of the reaction if you started speaking formal Jamaican English among close friends and in informal settings.<br /><br />We should be aiming for bilingual/diglossic citizens - and programming on media that uses both - particularly for something more than "Mass Ranny/Seebert" type snickering at Creole speakers.<br /><br />I'm convinced this is one big reason our school outcomes are so poor and there has long been so much lack of ownership of the institutions we have.<br /><br />Good post...Kid Charlemagnehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07344924798559054611noreply@blogger.com