Analyzing the Jamaican Creole Continuum:A Pilot Study on Dancehall Music

Seminar paper from the year 2012 in the subject Didactics for the subject English - Literature, Works, grade: 14,0, Justus-Liebig-University Giessen, course: Non-Native Varieties of English, language: English, abstract: "Out of many one people" this is Jamaicans motto which reflects its rich history as a former British slave colony. Especially the music bonds the people and it is really important for Jamaicans. The language they use is marked by their African roots but no real standard has been developed yet. Music is the best way to reach the people and it plays an important role for standardization. Jamaican musicians who are very popular can therefore have a certain influence of the Jamaican people in terms of language. The aim of this term paper will be to investigate on the Jamaican Patois based on selected Dancehall music examples, which is the most popular music genre in Jamaica.