Reggae, reggae scripture....
 

Firstly, Merry Christmas one and all!!

The bible has been translated into Jamaican patois for the very first time.

See "Jiizas - di buk we Luuk rait bout im".

With entries such as "De angel go to Mary and say to 'er, me have news we going to make you well 'appy. God really, really, bless you and him a walk with you all de time" it makes for a fascinating read / interpretation of scripture.

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As it's Christmas I'm determined not to get grumpy but I cannot stand patois, not least because it'll be the dialect-of-choice for chavs within 2 years.

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i remember there was a black country version done of the old testament when i was a kid ...very amusing

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In fairness, the chavs you are referring to are unlikely to read any book, let alone a bible, whatever language it's printed in.

There are, however, a lot of practicing Christians in Jamaica, and I don't doubt that some of them speak Patois. Surely this could help them?

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It's got nothing to do with which book it's in. What I can't stand is the degradation of our language.

As long as the dialect is limited to their own country that's fine.

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What has Welsh got to do with it?

Xenophobia - alive and well, sadly.

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Being half English, I can say it's my language too.



I suppose if I had something against the people and nationality then yeah, I guess.

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I'm not sure I understand what you are trying to say. If you are of mixed parentage (one of whom is / was English) that does not make you "half" anything from a nationality perspective. Nationality is determined by place of birth so effectively (assuming you were born in Wales) you can be Welsh / British but I don't believe you can be "half English".

Xenophobia is a lot more wide ranging than you think. It's not limited solely to "people and nationality".

On that basis then yeah, by fear of an exportation of the patois dialect you are keeping xenophobia alive and well.

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That's up to you and your view but I think everyone else will understand what I mean.



Thanks for the clarification - and I won't waste any sleep worrying about it. I'm all for preservation of the British/English dialect. I accept there will be evolutions of it over time but I'm against such rapid b@stardisation of it such as what we have seen over the last 10-20 years and I don't just mean from Jamaica. I can't stand pointless Americanisms either.

If wanting to keep my national language as well-preserved as possible makes me 'xenophobic' then I won't worry about it. It doesn't affect how I interact with people of other nations so it's no real big issue to anyone other than those who choose to make it so.

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I remember reading that the American language has actually evolved less than the English one since the war of independence. That is, American English is closer to traditional English than British English is.

The 'preservation' of the English language is a futile exercise anyway. That's not how it works. Words only become part of the mainstream is there is mass adoption, a minority cannot enforce linguistic change on everybody else. How would you protect it anyway? bAn words not in the English dictionary?

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As I said, I'm against the rapid evolution of our language.

And I didn't say there was anything I could (or would) do anything about it - not that I think it was possible. I've never really been one of the "I don't agree with it so ban it" types.

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It's not simply my "view", it's a fact. Nobody can be "half english" by nationality no matter what they or anyone might choose to understand.

You mean the english language? Your national language (ie. as per your nationality) is Welsh. I wasn't for a second suggesting that you ought to worry about it - I was just pointing out your, now self acknowledged, xenophobic attitude on this particular matter.

Job done, obviously.

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Still, I'm pretty sure everyone, including yourself, know what I mean.


My nationality is British. With English being the most-spoken language, mine is English.

If anyone expressing a foreign language or accent they don't like is what you consider xenophobic then I'll accept it.

If the people that media focus groups use in their research for marketing and advertising etc state which accents they find least appealing are who you'd regard as xenophobic then again, I'll wear the badge.

There are lots of accents I dislike. I find the German dialect to be very harsh, regimental and unfriendly. I'm not a fan of Glaswegian accents either. Not saying my own is in any way perfect but if that is what you consider xenophobic, no harm done. In 37 years years nobody else (including those who know me personally) has labelled me that way so your assertion won't be something I take seriously - no disrespect intended of course.

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Yes, clearly. What you mean is that you cannot distinguish between nationality and nationalism.

There is no language called "British" ergo your national language - since you were born in Wales - is Welsh. English may be your "preferred" or "first" language but it is not - by definition - your "national" language.

It's not what I consider xenophobic, it's defined within xenophobia - the earlier link refers.

Again, it's not simply a matter of what I consider to be xenophobic.

None taken - and likewise to you. However, despite your life experience thus far, there's a first time for everything Russ.

I'm glad to have been able to have helped you understand your nationality, preferred language and xenophobia.

Happy boxing day.

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I'm not xenophobic Mr A, but seeing as you're in a particularly argumentative mood today (ie you're right and everyone else is wrong), I'll leave you reply to this so you can have the last word.

(Born in England btw).

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Lol.....:D:D:DSome people are so Touchy! ;)

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Russ, Many thanks for affording me the opportunity to have the last word, much appreciated.

You may not think you are xenophobic however, as defined by your own attitude and admissions in this thread in relation to dialects and "b@stardisation" of a particular language, the second form definition of xenophobia refers.

I'm not in a particularly argumentative mood - it is Christmas after all. You, however, appear to be.

Had you specified your place of birth in your post at 13:21 where you said "Being half English...." instead of playing along with my understanding that you were Welsh then we wouldn't have been "arguing" your nationality / national language, would we?

On that matter.

That makes you English, not "half English".

As I said earlier - I'm glad to have been able to have helped you understand your nationality, preferred language and xenophobia.

Once again, happy boxing day.

Lets move on.

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I think everyone (not just Russ) has xenophobic, racial, prejudicial tendencies in one form or another) and if anyone says they don't. then they're a liar :)

Happy New Year!

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Oh my God, you racist, prejudicial xenophobe.

Just beating Mr Angry to it. :D

Besides, I totally agree with you. Live and let live I say as long as there is no hatred or malice, having an opinion or view doesn't mean it's bad or negative regardless of the label. (imo)

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I think people bandy words like xenophobia and racism around too much these days

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BTW Mr A i like the hat :LOL:

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Especially certain parts of the media.:(

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Unfortunately, some seem to either not recognise those tendencies (thus using this self-knowledge to positively modify their behaviours), or, in some cases, revel in these tendencies.

ymmv.

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Very true, Hugh. that's probably why they think they have none of the mentioned tendencies.