British Creole
1. Introduction
This paper clarifies the veritable meaning of British Creole since it is not only a Creole but an ethnolect of the Black British community, whereas some people may say that it is a vernacular of British English. The linguist Peter L. Patrick claims that British Creole is the product of contact between the Creole language varieties of migrants from the Caribbean, and vernacular varieties of Urban English English. (Peter L. Patrick 2003: 231) So one could say that British Creole is a compounded variety of the Jamaican Creole Patois, and a British English Vernacular. But what is British Creole in fact? Because there is confusion in terms of its definition since it is a variety which was created in Britain such as any other British English Vernacular and should therefore not be considered as the lingua franca of different speakers, with different languages in order to interact on a regular basis. (Gerard Van Herk 2012:140)
This paper discusses the criteria for British Creole as British English Vernacular, and on the other hand as a Creole, which is the mesolect and the decreolized form of the Jamaican Creole Patois. Therefore it is also of great importance to approach both varieties with regard to its similarities to Standard English, Regional verities and to Creoles in general since they are the result of numerous coinages and borrowings that developed throughout the history of the language.
2. Brief Glimpse at the Varieties of the English language 2.1. What is Standard English?
Standard English can be divided into two parts. The first one is written Standard English which is mostly used in formal written documents and is said to have a solemn and rather archaic character which implies that it can no longer be considered as cultivated speech in Modern English. (Jenny Cheshire. et al. 1997: 52) Written Standard English differs markedly from its spoken counterpart. Therefore it has to be learned and taught separately from each other,
This paper clarifies the veritable meaning of British Creole since it is not only a Creole but an ethnolect of the Black British community, whereas some people may say that it is a vernacular of British English. The linguist Peter L. Patrick claims that British Creole is the product of contact between the Creole language varieties of migrants from the Caribbean, and vernacular varieties of Urban English English. (Peter L. Patrick 2003: 231) So one could say that British Creole is a compounded variety of the Jamaican Creole Patois, and a British English Vernacular. But what is British Creole in fact? Because there is confusion in terms of its definition since it is a variety which was created in Britain such as any other British English Vernacular and should therefore not be considered as the lingua franca of different speakers, with different languages in order to interact on a regular basis. (Gerard Van Herk 2012:140)
This paper discusses the criteria for British Creole as British English Vernacular, and on the other hand as a Creole, which is the mesolect and the decreolized form of the Jamaican Creole Patois. Therefore it is also of great importance to approach both varieties with regard to its similarities to Standard English, Regional verities and to Creoles in general since they are the result of numerous coinages and borrowings that developed throughout the history of the language.
2. Brief Glimpse at the Varieties of the English language 2.1. What is Standard English?
Standard English can be divided into two parts. The first one is written Standard English which is mostly used in formal written documents and is said to have a solemn and rather archaic character which implies that it can no longer be considered as cultivated speech in Modern English. (Jenny Cheshire. et al. 1997: 52) Written Standard English differs markedly from its spoken counterpart. Therefore it has to be learned and taught separately from each other,
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