Of Creole language, dialect and literature

Louise Bennett

Bans A Killin

So yuh a de man me hear bout!

Ah yuh dem seh dah teck

Whole heap a English oat seh dat

yuh gwine kill dialec!

 

Meck me get it straight, mas Charlie,

For me no quite understand –

Yuh gwine kill all English dialec

Or jus Jamaica one?

 

Ef yuh dah equal up wid English

Language, den wha meck

Yuh gwine go feel inferior when

It come to dialec?

Ef yuh cyaan sing ‘Linstead Market’

An ‘Water come a me yeye’

Yuh wi haffi tap sing ‘Auld Lang Syne’

An ‘Comin through de rye’.