Jamaican Creole in Global Reggae and Dancehall Performances - (New Directions in World Englishes Research) by Anika Gerfer

About the Book

Offers a comprehensive investigation of Jamaicans' perceptions of the use of Jamaican Creole in global reggae and dancehall music.

Book Synopsis

This book adopts an interdisciplinary approach to the study of cultural and linguistic appropriation. It explores the use of Jamaican Creole phonetic and morphosyntactic features by Jamaican and non-Jamaican reggae and dancehall artists as well as Jamaicans' evaluations of this linguistic behaviour.

While positive attitudes prevail, some Jamaicans take a rather negative stance and perceive the use of Jamiacan Creole as inauthentic, misrepresentative and stereotyping. The findings of Jamaican Creole in Global Reggae and Dancehall Performances emphasise the importance of bringing together quantitative data on underlying patterns of language use and qualitative interview data on language perceptions and attitudes. Gerfer demonstrates that in a world of ongoing globalisation, World Englishes may become imitation-worthy codes which artists all across the globe use - more or less - proficiently and convincingly in their music performances.

Review Quotes

The reggae music of Jamaica has helped spread the island's creole language throughout the world and encouraged numerous international artists to use it in their own performances. Anika Gerfer offers the reader careful sociolinguistic analyses of such acts of linguistic crossing and a balanced discussion of the cultural and political issues it raises. Highly recommended for readers in creole linguistics, World Englishes and postcolonial studies.--Christian Mair, University of Freiburg