Faith · Farin · written in Patois with an English translation
Dis laas capsule a no bout no city. A bout yu. Hear weh di researcha dem find bout language inna di diaspora: di fus generation weh lef home chat di language good-good. Fi dem pickney undastan i, but chat i likkle. An di gran-pickney dem often lose i — dem call dat di three-generation shift. Nuff a wi a weh di expert dem call 'receptive bilingual': di language deh inna wi head, wi hear Granny an undastan every word — but when time come fi answer, di mout lock. If a so yu tan, yu no bruk, an yu no deh alone. A so i go all ova di worl. But language weh a sleep kyan wake. All ova di worl, second an third generation pickney a tun back fi dem granny tongue, caa di research show seh when yu hold on pon di heritage language, yu hold on pon yuself — identity, fambily, belonging. An Patwa naa dead a farin — i deh inna dance, inna church, inna carnival, inna di cousin dem group chat. Back a yaad, di Jamaican Language Unit a UWI a fight fi di language get full respect, an dem even publish Di Jamiekan Nyuu Testiment — di New Testament inna Patwa. So look how far yu come: fourteen parish, an now farin — yu own parish. Di day yu granny chat to yu inna Patwa an yu answer har back inna Patwa, di circle close. Di language a yu birthright. Tek i up. Chat i. Pass i dung to yu own pickney dem. Dis journey a fi yu. Walk good.
This last capsule is not about any city. It is about you. Hear what the researchers have found about language in the diaspora: the first generation who left home speak the language fluently. Their children understand it, but speak it little. And the grandchildren often lose it — that is called the three-generation shift. Many of us are what the experts call 'receptive bilinguals': the language is in our heads, we hear Granny and understand every word — but when it is time to answer, the mouth locks. If that is how you are, you are not broken, and you are not alone. That is how it goes all over the world. But a language that is sleeping can wake. All over the world, second and third generation children are turning back to their grandmother's tongue, because the research shows that when you hold on to the heritage language, you hold on to yourself — identity, family, belonging. And Patois is not dying abroad — it lives in the dance, in church, in carnival, in the cousins' group chat. Back home, the Jamaican Language Unit at UWI is fighting for the language to get full respect, and they have even published Di Jamiekan Nyuu Testiment — the New Testament in Patois. So look how far you have come: fourteen parishes, and now farin — your own parish. The day your granny speaks to you in Patois and you answer her back in Patois, the circle closes. The language is your birthright. Take it up. Speak it. Pass it down to your own children. This journey is for you. Walk good.
Dis laas kyapsyuul a no bout no siti. A bout yu. Ier we di riisorcha dem fain bout langgwij iina di dayaspora: di fos jinarieshan we lef uom chat di langgwij gud-gud. Fi dem pikni ondastan i, bot chat i likl. An di gran-pikni dem aafn luuz i — dem kaal dat di chrii-jinarieshan shif. Nof a wi a we di eksport dem kaal 'receptive bilingual': di langgwij de iina wi ed, wi ier Grani an ondastan evri wod — bot wen taim kom fi ansa, di mout lak. If a so yu tan, yu no bruk, an yu no de aluon. A so i go aal uova di worl. Bot langgwij we a sliip kyan wiek. Aal uova di worl, sekan an tord jinarieshan pikni a ton bak fi dem grani tong, kaa di riisorch shuo se wen yu uol aan pan di eritij langgwij, yu uol aan pan yuself — aidentiti, fambili, bilangin. An Patwa naa ded a farin — i de iina daans, iina chorch, iina kaanival, iina di kozn dem gruup chat. Bak a yaad, di Jamiekan Language Unit a UWI a fait fi di langgwij get ful rispek, an dem iivn poblish Di Jamiekan Nyuu Testiment — di New Testament iina Patwa. So luk ou faa yu kom: fuotiin parish, an nou farin — yu uon parish. Di die yu grani chat tu yu iina Patwa an yu ansa ar bak iina Patwa, di sorkl kluoz. Di langgwij a yu bortrait. Tek i op. Chat i. Paas i dong tu yu uon pikni dem. Dis jorni a fi yu. Waak gud.
The history and the figures come from the sources above. The Patois is mine.
Hear this read aloud in Farin →