INTRODUCTION TO THE USE OF ENGLISH “Language Awareness” A presentation by Charlene Wilkinson and Kencil Banwarie INTRODUCTION TO THE USE OF ENGLISH University of Guyana School of Education and the Humanities Department of Language and Cultural Studies

Course description and general aim Use of English is a foundation course required for students who are largely from Creole speaking backgrounds. The course introduces students to language as it is used in academic settings  and targets the development of reading and writing skills required for tasks at the university level.  

What do we mean by “Language Awareness” Say whether you agree of disagree with the following questions.

Say whether you agree or disagree with these statements? “Creolese” is bad English. People who speak Creolese are not as intelligent as people who speak English. University students should not be allowed to speak Creolese in their classes. The Use of English course should aim to erase your Creolese. The Use of English course should aim to get you to discredit persons who speak Creolese.

Ool taim Gaiyniiz seeyin Guyanese Proverbs Tiif fram tiif mek Gad laaf. Wan wan doti bil daam. Aal skin tiit a no laaf. Duu fu duu a no obiya.

More Translations Han wash han mek han kom kliin. Guyanese Creole English Han wash han mek han kom kliin. When one hand washes the other, both become clean. Tiif fram tiif mek Gad laaf. Stealing from a thief makes God laugh. Wan wan doti bil daam. We build a dam by patiently adding a little dirt at a time. Aal skin tiit a no laaf. Translatable? Maybe. Duu fu duu a no obiya.

Varieties of language in guyana How do we know when someone is speaking “correctly”?

Which sentences are wrong? Which sentences are right? Mi a go maakit. A gaiyin maakit. A goin to di markit. Ai goin to di markit. I am going to the market.

How would you say it where you come from? Talk to the person sitting near you. Share some language information about yourself. ………………………………………………………………….. Where are you from in Guyana? Where are your families from? How would you say the same thing where you are from? What language are you speaking to your classmate right now? Think of a language experience you have had where you were made to feel ashamed about how you speak. Share this experience with your classmate.

Creolese = guyanese

The Creole Continuum The Basilect The Mesolect The Acrolect

Creole Continuum Acrolect Mesolect Basilect Urban Rural

Basilect Acrolect Mesolect Acrolectal English/ Guyanese Standard English Basilect Acrolect Mesolect Urban Rural I was goin ah de goin me de goin me bin a go

Creole is a language; it has a grammar Continuous tense English > is/are + -ing + verb Guyanese > a + verb Past Tense English> -ed, [several] Guyanese > bin Plurality English > -s, -es, -ee-, [several] Guyanese > dem

Dialect A dialect is a VARIETY of a language. A dialect has its own vocabulary, accent, and grammar. Guyanese is a language with various dialects (Essequibian dialect, Berbician dialect, Linden dialect, Georgetown dialect. Standard English is even a dialect of International English. There is British Standard English, Australian Standard English, Indian Standard English, US Standard English, etc.

Isogloss Pancake Chota Sweet roti Dosay Granny belly skin

The Basilect Mi a go maakit.

The Mesolect A gaiyin maakit. A goin to di markit.

The Acrolect Ai goin to di markit.

Now agree or disagree with these statements again: “Creolese” is bad English. People who speak Creolese are not as intelligent as people who speak English. University students should not be allowed to speak Creolese in their classes. The Use of English course should aim to erase your Creolese and replace it with English. The Use of English course should aim to promote respect for both languages.

Please now write your expectations of this course by completing the sentence starters: I expect the lecturer ……………. I expect the objectives of the course ………. I expect the course ………………. I expect the lecture …………………….. I expect the tutorials ……………………. I expect the materials ……………………. I expect the students …………………………. I expect the questions ……………………. I expect the work load ……………………. I expect the tasks or activities ………………… I expect the assignments ………………………… I expect my …………………….

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