Dear Editor,
Like many Guyanese I mourn the lost of a great son of Guyana, Professor Richard Allsopp.
I have a great appreciation for his work as a linguist, who chronicled the history and importance of Caribbean speech that has given an identity to the Caribbean people. It is fascinating to read Allsopp’s work of word origins of Caribbean and more so Guyanese vernacular such as ‘matie’ and ‘vamoose’ and critique of non-verbal communication such as the ‘suck-teeth’ and ‘cut-eye.’
The many things we say and do that serve to give Guyanese nationals an identity, Prof. Allsopp took the time and patience to study for our benefit and edification.
His contribution should be treated with great respect and appreciation from scholars to the common man. His work should instill in us a sense of pride of who we are and our uniqueness within the Caribbean community of nations. Prof. Richard Allsopp is to Guyana as Ms. Louise Bennett-Coverley commonly called Ms. Lou is to Jamaica for deconstructing Creolese and Patois respectively to inspire the necessity of embracing one’s identity and culture.
I believe the time has come where his work on ‘Guyana talk’ be made available for all Guyanese to access, along with other relevant literature to remind us of our identity and culture that is diminishing with time and Western cultural penetration. Jermaine Grant
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