University of Guyana
Faculty of Education and Humanities
Department of Language and Cultural Studies
The Guyanese Languages Unit
COURSE: GCR 1101: EXPLORING GUYANESE CREOLE
SUMMER CLASS - 8 WEEKS
8 HOURS PER WEEK
CREDITS: Four
EXEMPTIONS: NIL
PRE-REQUISITE: NIL
FOLLOW-ON COURSE:
DESCRIPTION
This course is designed to provide participants with linguistic knowledge of the structure and function of Guyanese Creole (GC), or Creolese, as it is commonly called. It does not require any prior linguistic training or qualification but facilitates the exploration of the language, using the range of experiences of students in the real world. The aim of the course is to make speakers of Creolese conscious of what they already know and give them the opportunity to examine and re-evaluate some of the linguistic and social stereotypes surrounding this language. Students doing this course will explore the linguistic patterns, develop literacy in Creolese, and become aware of the expressive and grammatical alternatives among varieties of Creolese. They will recognize that it is a language in its own right, able to express all the thoughts, concepts and emotions that its speakers want to express.
The delivery of the course will be primarily problem-based. Students will interrogate the linguistic environment in order to develop an understanding and appreciation of issues of language structure, variation and variability, communication, bias and prejudice, among other things.
The delivery of the course will be primarily problem-based. Students will interrogate the linguistic environment in order to develop an understanding and appreciation of issues of language structure, variation and variability, communication, bias and prejudice, among other things.
LEARNING OUTCOMES
Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:
• Demonstrate awareness and understanding of the language situation in Guyana.
• Critically evaluate stereotypes about Creolese and those who speak it.
• Discuss and illustrate specific aspects of the structure of Creolese.
• Discuss and illustrate forms of linguistic variation in Creolese and their stylistic and communicative functions.
• Use the Creolese Writing System effectively to read, write, transcribe, translate and create original texts and audio-visual materials.
TOPICS
Week I
(1) Introduction to the course
- The Guyanese language situation
- Stereotypes about Creolese
- Beginning a journal to track development of our language ideologies
- Focus on Writing Systems: getting acquainted with the Creolese alphabet
(2) Exploring the sounds of Creolese
- Activities: discovering patterns in syllables
- Inventory of GC sounds & patterns for combining them into syllables
- Practice in using the GC Writing System (continues to week 8)
(3) Exploring word-making patterns in Creolese I
- Discovering patterns that distinguish words in Creolese:
Intonation (stress, length, etc.)
- Some patterns in Creolese word-creation:
Compounding, reduplication, conversion, affixation, usage, etc.
- Guyanese words: idioms, use of ‘a’, serial verbs
- Fieldwork: exploring an aspect of Creolese language practice (naming practices, current slang, etc.)
Week II
(4) ASSESSMENT 1 - WORKBOOK 1 and JOURNAL to be submitted
(5) Exploring sentence patterns in Creolese - I
- Ordering of words; indicating time; expressing plurality; use of pronouns; etc.
(6) Exploring sentence patterns in Creolese II
Questions, orders, statements, negation, topicalising, etc.
Week III
7. Patterns of discourse structure in Creolese
- Narrating, explaining, instructing, persuading, expressing politeness,
expressing emphasis
- Other contrasts (e.g. talking to elders/parents vs talking to friends vs talking to outsiders)
- Discourse markers: showing linkage between ideas, etc.
Week IV
8. ASSESSMENT 2 - WORKBOOK 2 and JOURNAL to be submitted
Week V
(9) Creolese and Guyanese Culture
- Oral traditions, proverbs, ancestral retentions, ethnicity, etc.
(10) FIELD TRIP - Mid-Late August
Week VI
(11) Reports from Field Trip and Analysis of Linguistic Data:
- Presenting a Panel Discussion; Learning Transcription; Analysing Creolese Grammar
(12) Functions of Creolese in the society - What is appropriateness?
- Examining the concept of ‘effective communication’ in the Guyanese context
- Creating texts and audio-visual material in Creolese for a variety of purposes and audiences
Week VII
(13) Translation
- Creolese to English
- English to Creolese
Week VIII
(14) Composition in Creolese
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TEACHING & LEARNING METHODOLOGY
The course combines lectures, problem-solving activities, investigations, discussions, group presentations, field trips and student-led online discussion fora.
METHODS OF ASSESSMENT
Individual Project = 30%
Group Presentation = 30%
Student Collaborative Exhibition of Work = 40%
- Lecturer: Charlene Wilkinson
Semester: S1
Department: Department of Language and Cultural Studies
Faculty: Faculty of Education and Humanities