37 2. Overall framework of contact phenomena this entity solid and long-lasting); compact vs. loose (there is a high density of contact within a group); primary vs. secondary (primary is when the language of a speech community is the first language this community acquires); and subordinate vs. superordinate (the subordinate community is dependent on another governing group) (Bańczerowski 1980: 18). The Jamaican speech community is highly diverse. The language users have many kinds of dialectal varieties at their disposal which oscillate from Jamaican English (the closest variety to standard English), Jamaican Creole (the mesolectal variety) and Patois (the least comprehensible basilectal form of Jamaican Creole). This wide spectrum of linguistic forms affects the speech community, which makes it a non-homogeneous entity not only in the sphere of the language they use but also in the social field. The basilectal forms of Patois are used in rural areas, whereas the mesolectal and acrolectal varieties are to be heard in more official situations (office, television, etc.). Taking Zabrocki’s categories into account, the Jamaican speech community can be described as active – information exchange is carried out without any obstacles, and the mainstream, mesolectal variety is commonly comprehensible. Although not all Jamaicans are familiar with the basilectal forms, this does not constitute a serious barrier in mutual understanding. The concept of durability and compactness can surely be ascribed to Jamaicans – despite the linguistic divergences within the discussed speech community, the continuous uninterrupted flow of information and in-group contacts integrates the society and makes it solid and long-lasting. In primary speech communities, the language that the members speak is the first they acquire. It is one of a creole’s inherent features that it becomes the native language of a speech community. In the case of Jamaica, the language issue is an intricate one due to the bilingual nature of the Jamaican speech community. Jamaica’s official language is English; however, Jamaican Creole is spoken in many places on the island – it is spoken mostly in rural areas and increasingly more often in urban ones (Brown-Blake 2008: 34). Just as in the other countries where two languages are spoken (e.g. Malta, where English is the official language and Maltese is also spoken mostly at home, i.e. among family members), the Jamaican speech community acquires both language varieties, i.e. English and Jamaican Creole, concurrently. The last category distinguishes between subordinate and superordinate communities. The Jamaican speech community transformed from a subordinate community, where the language and social norms were imposed by the British colonizers, into a superordinate one where the citizens could govern and decide for themselves.
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