Universidad de Panamá
Mgtr. Constancia Shellon
Interculturality and Education for Ethnic-Racial Relations
ETHNIC IDENTITY AND DECLINING USE OF JAMAICAN PATOIS
Sociolinguistic Investigation Among Youngsters in Colón, Panama
WHY DOES PATOIS MATTERS?��Patois connects language with Afro-Caribbean memory and belonging.�
LANGUAGE
LANGUAGE
Pride in ancestry and community membership
Transmission of stories, traditions, and experience
Family communication and cultural expression
LANGUAGE
IDENTITY
CONTINUITY
HISTORICAL ROOTS IN COLON��
1850-1855
Railroad construction expanded Caribbean migration
1881-1889
The French Canal period intensified language use.
1904 -1914
The Panama Canal construction consolidated communities
�UNEQUAL SOCIAL SPACES FOR THREE LANGUAGES
Educational prestige
International mobility
Employment value
SPANISH
ENGLISH
PATOIS
Official language
Schooling and public life
Widest daily use
Heritage and family
Cultural belonging
Restricted public use
.
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RESEARCH PROBLEM
Elon HHHHHHOHHging, ancestry, and cultural participation
LANGUAGOMAINS
LANGUAGE DOMAINS
Young people use less Patois
Older community members fear that reduced language use may weaken cultural memory and connections to ancestry
RESEARCH QUESTION AND OBJECTIVE
RESEARCH QUESTION
What sociohistorical and cultural factors contribute to the declining use of Patois among young Jamaican descendants in Colón, Panama?
GENERAL OBJECTIVE
To examine the relationship between ethnic identity and Patois use and identify the domains and community factors associated with language maintenance or decline.
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ANALYTICAL FRAMEWORK���
Elon HHHHHHOHHging, ancestry, and cultural participation
ETHNIC IDENTITY
LANGUAGOMAINS
LANGUAGE DOMAINS
LANGUAGE DOMAINS
TRANSMISSION
Pride, belonging, ancestry, and cultural participation
Home, school, church, friendships, and public events
Learning through grandparents, parents, and repeated interaction
METHODOLOGY�
104 18-35 COLON CITY
ACCESSIBLE AGES FIELD SITE MIXED METHOD
PARTICIPANTS
Quantitative component Qualitative component
Structured survey items measured language
use, competence, attitudes, and identity.
Open-ended responses explained family transmission and language choice
PRELIMINARY FINDING�
�EXPECTED TREND TO BE EXAMINED
• Less use of Patois between parents, grandparents, and young people is linked to less frequent everyday use.
• Fewer opportunities to speak Patois are linked to stronger understanding than speaking ability.
• Pride in Jamaican roots remains strong, even when Patois is used less often.
These are expected trends to examine, not confirmed findings.
results
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CAN YOUNGSTERS PRESERVE PATOIS
FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS?
results
Preservation requires collective action. Families must speak it at home, schools should recognize its cultural value, and young people should use it proudly in everyday life and on digital platforms. Preserving Patois means preserving the history, identity, and voices of the Afro-Caribbean community in Colón.
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CONCLUSION
Elon HHHHHHOHHging, ancestry, and cultural participation
LANGUAGOMAINS
LANGUAGE DOMAINS
Patois can survive if we all help to keep it alive. Parents and grandparents can speak it with children at home, schools can teach its history, and young people can use it in music, videos, stories, and social media. Even though fewer people speak Patois today, it is still an important part of Afro-Caribbean identity in Colón. When we preserve Patois, we honor our ancestors and pass our culture on to the next generation.
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I extend my sincere gratitude to my doctoral advisor, Dr. Antonio Garcés Rodríguez, for his guidance, thoughtful feedback, and support throughout this research. I also thank the Doctoral Program in English Linguistics at the University of Panama for the academic support provided during my studies.
Elon HHHHHHOHHging, ancestry, and cultural participation
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Constancia Shellon
connymarie2@gmail.com
UNIVERSITY OF PANAMA
CONNY04-MARIE@