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The Creole language versus Standard English

Apr 08, 2016 Letters

Dear Editor,
On Thursday March 31, 2016, Guyanese Hubert Devonish, distinguished professor of Linguistics at UWI (Mona), was our guest in the Department of Language and Cultural Studies, Turkeyen Campus, UG.  The event was an informative and inspiring Language Conversation. Many truths came to the fore, both in his presentation and in responding to questions from the audience.  I took home the profound reality that many ‘bright students’ end up in ‘wasteland’ because of the notion that they are ‘not bright.’ In reality, it is the educator who has failed them, teaching them in their (the teachers’) English Language, which is mistakenly taken to mean our native tongue.
It is very well established that our native, mother and natural first language is Guyanese Creolese. This however is still unfairly stigmatised and its users are seen as ‘less than.’ This pervasive and longstanding false perception that those who can only use the Guyanese Creolese are ‘not bright’ has naturally stymied the educational and social progress of these ‘lesser than.’ Professor Devonish is all for making education, especially at the incipient stages, available via Guyanese Creolese.
This approach is not novel, nor within the Guyanese context, is it a push to displace current English mode education. It is really a belated effort to accept the reality of at least a bilingual Guyana, where the Guyanese Creolese is much more prominent. Hence, if Professor Devonish only succeeded in enlightening me, I am more than glad, and his visit was a huge success; we do need more.
Henry Singh
Lecturer in the Use of English,
University of Guyana

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