THE JAMAICAN VARIANT OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE IN THE POST-CREOLE CONTINUUM

Abstract

Today the Jamaican variant of English language constitutes a unique linguistic phenomenon, which is currently undergoing many changes arising from its relatively recent appearance. This phenomenon can be used as a framework for studying the process of the development of languages. The history and development of the Jamaican variant of the English language are examined, and in particular how it is influenced by the standard English and Jamaican languages. The changes and borrowings of different grammatical forms of Jamaican English are researched through the examples of compositions of Jamaican artists, whose work is recognized as a result of the joint penetration of both Jamaican and American cultures and aimed not only at the potential listener within Jamaica, but also at the potential English-speaking listeners of any other country. The following conclusion is made: the given examples of the grammatical changes of the grammatical forms of Jamaican English on the part of Jamaican and standard English in many ways embody the modern spoken Jamaican language. Moreover, the similarity of the Jamaican English language and pidgin English, which is considered as necessary mainstay for the further research of Jamaican English, is proved.