Teaching Creolese at UG sounds like a pagalee idea

Dear Editor,

In reply to Joan Cambridge’s letter on Creolese being taught at UG (‘UG’s Aliidee Skuul teaches writing in Guyanese Creole’ SN, June 15), I wish to state: Abee dese estate people gat abee own way fi tawk Creolese an abee wan fi know ah who kine Creolese dem ah teach ah UG as Guyanese Creolese because none ah abee nah guh guh to no Allidee Skuul no time. Abee guh mo like guh to ah Haliday Skool so it ah look to abee dat dem UG people ah mek demself biggity fi seh dat ah only one kine Creolese ah tawk in dis country when all-bady dat barn an grow heah know dat ah nuff-nuff kine Creolese ah tawk all bout de place an eef abee own universatee nah know da or eef dem ah deescriminate gainst abee dese estate people den dah ah tuh much eyepass pon abee.

There are racial/ethnic, geographical and class variations of the Creolese spoken here that arise from different groups’ respective roots and experiences. The attempt to forge a “distinctive Guyanese language” that would constrain, constrict and standardise what are spontaneous, free-ranging, creative expressions is mind-boggling and even disturbing for its suggestive authoritarian slant.

It sounds like a pagalee idea. That it’s coming from our university and being done in the name of social cohesion which should be respectful of difference and diversity – airay baap!

Yours faithfully, Ryhaan Shah