To understand Patois, it is important to know a bit of its history and how it came to be the dominant language spoken in modern Jamaica. During the time of slavery between the eighteenth and nineteenth century, slaves were sent to Jamaica to work on sugar plantations. Wanting to lower any possibility of rebellion, slave owners and other colonizers forced the slaves to speak English; hoping that any talk of escape would be caught immediately. The “broken English” over time began to stabilize into what is known as modern Jamaican Patois that is spoken throughout the island, as well as many other places in the world where Jamaicans congregate; one example of this would be Toronto Canada.

Jamaican music has a lot to do with the interest in the language among the masse. Reggae (A genre of music originating from Jamaica in the 60s that utilizes offbeat rhythms and a slow tempo to) music sung by people like Bob Marley and other popular artists brought the dialect into western eyes in countries like America and Canada as well as eastern countries like the UK and even Asian countries. Though people could not understand the lyrics of the songs, they were filled with the soul of the music. As such, despite the difference between dialects; people were able to connect to each other.

One key difference between Patois is in many phrases. A few examples of this is as follows: “Don’t go there” becomes “Nuh guh deh”. “Come here” becomes “Come yah”. “You’re a liar” becomes “You is a liad” or “You a liad”, and “Why are you lying” becomes “Wha mek you so lie”. Even short insults extend in length with “You’re an idiot” becoming “You mussi born back a cow”. Simple words, like phrases, are also different in Jamaica with examples such as “Smelly” becoming “frowsy”. Stores being called shops, Americans being called Yankees, and any overseas country is called “Foreign”. Other examples would be children being called “Pitneys”, Boys being referred to as “Byai” and girls as “Gyal”.

Though Reggae and such brought a positive interest to Patois, it still did not and does not stop people from regarding Patois as a “Ghetto” dialect. What I mean by this is that some people will hear Patois and assume that the person speaking it is uneducated or poor. This is likely due to the fact that Patois, again, can be rather difficult to understand. Another reason is that Patois is also heard in entertainment through mediums like rap music or characters in television shows who are usually stereotypical.

To conclude, Patois; like every other dialect, has its own history as well as its stereotypes. Though different attitudes exist about Patois, the only way to properly formulate your own opinion would be to go out and converse with a native speaker. You’ll find that despite speaking the same language, you’ll find yourself learning a whole new dictionary of words and phrases. There even exists wall scrolls that teach you how to speak Patois and what different Patois phrases translate to in Standard English.

1. Did I give enough information regarding the history of Patois

2. What can I do to further explain the differences between Patois and Standard English?

3. Are there too many Standard English to Patois Phrases and words? Should I add more or take some out?

In my prominently English neighborhood there’s a single Chinese food restaurant called “Kim Po”. The store is located at Farmers Boulevard in Saint Albans Queens, not too far from where I live. My reason for choosing this sign (besides the fact that it happens to be one of the only signs near my house that’s in a different language) is simple, it’s a store I frequent as well as the very first thing I see when I cross the street to go to the supermarket located right next to it.

While banner is mostly in English, the actual name is in Chinese (though the words uses the Latin alphabet rather than Chinese characters). The banner itself is a bright eye catching blue with all of the English text being in white. However, the restaurant name is in a red color that clashes directly with the blue, drawing the eye to it. I believe this is a way for anyone passing by to be able to easily tell what the store is called, thus remembering it and possibly returning in the future. The reason why the sign is mostly in English is most likely because of what I stated previously, the neighborhood is prominently English so it only makes sense that the sign should be mostly in the language that’s spoken the most in the neighborhood.

The sign, much like the building, is rather simple and homely. However, this is not inherently a bad thing. Farmers Boulevard is is a simple, quiet neighborhood. People going about their business prefer to get what they seek and return to their day. They aren’t interested in anything flashy or over the top. This is reflected in the surrounding neighborhood. To the right of the store (as well as a local C-Town supermarket it shared a building with) is a lengthy row of houses going on and on for many blocks. There is also an elementary school directly in front of it (it’s a block away but still in front nonetheless). Students like to visit for a quick after school meal and families like to visit for an out of house meal.

To conclude, this store has been a part of this neighborhood for quite some time. Though the name of the restaurant and the people inside are both Chinese, people are still able to communicate and get what it is they want.

Questions

#1 Did I follow the rubric well or did I go off topic?

#2 What can I do to make this essay better, especially regarding my conclusion.

This is the banner of my local Chinese food store at Farmers Boulevard in Saint Albans Queens. The the sign is mostly in English, the name of the store is Chinese (though the words uses the Latin alphabet rather than Chinese characters).

The sign is simple with it’s purpose, letting anyone who passes by know the name of their restaurant as well as it’s purpose.

When I am in the calm/neutral stage, I typically speak in a calm professional and logical manner. When referring to people, I say “Sir” or “Ma’am” depending on the gender of the person in question. If I make a mistake I’m more likely to say “I apologize” or “My apologies” rather than “I’m sorry”. I make an effort to use proper grammar as well as making sure that any verbal mistakes made are quickly correct. Again, usually followed by a quick apology if needed. I’ll also make an effort to avoid the use of profanity as I personally don’t like hearing those words when I’m in that stage. Because this is the stage people see the more often then not, I’m usually told that I am a mature young man, or that I’m very professional.

When I’m Comfortable/Playful, my personality quickly changes. Rather than speaking professionally, I’m much more casual and open. I have a tendency to use expressions like “my bad” or “my guy/dude”. I’ll also refer to people by saying “Fella Fella”. Use of profanity is much more likely in this stage as I am more laid back and care less about keeping a professional attitude, rather I begin to care more about being humorous and will make a great deal of jokes and references in an attempt to get a laugh (though I still make sure these jokes are not offensive in nature. It’s kind of hard to make someone laugh if they’re irritated with you). Use of made up words and random sounds tend to take the place of real words as well, for a humorous effect. This is the stage I am in the most when I’m around friends.

The last stage is the one stage I hate being in, the Annoyed/Angry stage. In this stage I try to maintain a professional and logical attitude. However, my annoyance makes causes me to be far more candid and outspoken. I lose any interest in keeping my opinion to myself or sparing the feelings of the person who has…incurred my wrath, so to speak. My speech becomes heavily sarcastic and belittling. I speak in a manner that suggests that I don’t believe that I and the person I’m speaking to are on the same level. I make it a point to hide this aspect of my speech because it would definitely be seen is disrespectful. I would be seen as the kind of person who you don’t want to be around because they make you feel bad, or something along those lines. It’s was also brought my attention (and I have noticed this about my speech as well) that I speak much faster when annoyed. I also have the tendency to rapidly repeat the first syllable of a given word in a sort of stuttering fashion.

My questions regarding this draft are simple

1. Was I clear with my analysis of my speech in regards to my personality?
2. What could I have done better?
3. What can be taken out/put in to make this a more complete paper?
4. Did I go off topic, if so what could be done to stay on track in the future?

Both methods of communication, Speech and Writing, come with their own advantages and disadvantages. On one hand, speech allows for a quick communication between two individuals. You’re able to get a read on the person you’re speaking to based on their mannerism and method of speech. Are they a quite person? Are they an energetic person? Are they foreign or are they happy to talk to you. These are all examples of things that cannot be done with writing.

However, speech does have it’s downsides. Subtle things like facial expression or volume can completely change the tone of a conversation. Words can be lost to emotion; meanings lost to anger. Being caught off guard can also put a damper on the conversation, especially if you’re someone like me who shuts down when given too much information at once.

On the other hand, writing is not held back by this (for lack of a better term) “handicap”. By putting your thoughts on words, you can take your time and carefully choose the best response based on the information presented to you. It is arguably the best way to make a first impression because you have no choice but to display your intellect to the other person.

However, if you do not use proper grammar; you may end up confusing your reader. Using “There” instead of “Their”, or “There/Their” instead of “They’re”. “To” instead of “Too”. These are just a few examples of simple mistakes that can mess up ones ability to communicate via the written form. Another issue is penmanship. It’s fairly obvious that reading awful handwriting is a challenge. Imagine reading awful handwriting that’s full of grammatical mistakes, I wouldn’t rather eat bowl of cooked onions (I hate onions with a burning passion by the way).