[lg policy] From 'patwa' to Spanish - lost in translation

[Harold Schiffman]

>From 'patwa' to Spanish - lost in translation
<http://jamaica-gleaner.com/article/commentary/20160615/nadine-muschette-patwa-spanish-lost-translation#>
<http://jamaica-gleaner.com/article/commentary/20160615/nadine-muschette-patwa-spanish-lost-translation#>
<http://jamaica-gleaner.com/article/commentary/20160615/nadine-muschette-patwa-spanish-lost-translation#>
Published:Wednesday | June 15, 2016 | 12:00 AMNadine Muschette
<http://jamaica-gleaner.com/authors/nadine-muschette>

   -

The last week's articles, letters and commentaries about language education
in Jamaica are testament to the passion we have for this aspect of our
identity and our awareness of the role of language and its opportunities in
the global society. For me, the discussions need to come down to the
importance of the home language for literacy, especially in the early
years, and how this facilitates the learning of multiple/other languages.

Last Friday's Letter of the Day, 'Don't neglect the people's language', by
Louis Moyston, mentioned the language policy enacted in Singapore and the
national benefits of teaching English as a second language to their
Creole-speaking groups. Online commentators who frown upon 'patwa' in
schools have mentioned Europe and that many Europeans comfortably speak
multiple languages. This is true.

What is also true is that Europeans are made literate in their own national
language - it is taught as a subject and it is their instrument of general
instruction. Additionally, they have the advantage of 'natural' exposure to
these multiple languages without much hassle. They can take weekend trips
by bus, car or train to a neighbouring country and they don't generally
need a visa!


MOTHER TONGUE



But since this debate was (re)fuelled by a mention of Spanish becoming our
official second language (because of our geographic locale), let us not go
too far. Consider some of our Spanish-speaking neigh-bours who have also
struggled with literacy and similar debates about home/indigenous languages
in education - Peru, Guadeloupe, Honduras, Guat-emala, Colombia, Para-guay
all come to mind.

Peru's case is probably the most recent, so let's look at that.

In November 2015, *The Latin Correspondent* reported that an estimated 'one
million primary students in Peru speak a language other than Spanish in the
home'. It was only last year October that their Ministry of Education took
the bold policy decision to educate these children in their mother tongue
with a goal of fluency/literacy in both their home language and the
official Spanish by the end of primary school.

The surprising thing is that the appreciation for the recognition of
indigenous, home languages and bilingual education was written into Peru's
1979 constitution. Funding, political will and the social attitudes towards
the teaching of the home language in schools challenged the enacting of
this policy. Parents in the very regions of the country that used different
home languages feared that their children would be at a disadvantage in a
country where Spanish was the official language. Citing their own
experiences with socio-cultural discrimination, these parents preferred
that their children learn in Spanish and leave their mother tongue behind.
Sounds familiar?


STRUGGLES AND TRIUMPHS



So, why now for mother tongue policy implementation? Generations of their
children have not mastered the official language, and simply put, they want
literacy. If we want the same, we must not only make our neighbours'
language ours, but we should also consider their own struggles and triumphs
with home and official languages in education.

Are we willing to reach back for our own home language, and so ensure our
children are literate and can leap into multi-language learning (English,
Spanish, Mandarin ... )?

May we choose literacy for our children. May we become a truly multilingual
nation. In that order.

- Email feedback to columns at gleanerjm.com and muschetten at gmail.com.
http://jamaica-gleaner.com/article/commentary/20160615/nadine-muschette-patwa-spanish-lost-translation

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