Dread Talk: The Language of the Rastafari [Paperback]

Velma Pollard (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0773520309 | ISBN-13: 978-0773520301 | Publication Date: May 2000 | Edition: Rev Sub

In "Dread Talk", Velma Pollard describes the language of Rastafari, tracing its development as an expansion of Jamaican Creole while showing how it is distinct both from Creole and Standard English. She demonstrates that dread talk must be understood in terms of Jamaican social history, emphasizing its religious origins, its evolution as a language of social protest, and its spread around the world through the Reggae music of Bob Marley, Peter Tosh, and Jimmy Cliff. "Dread Talk" examines the effects of Rastafarian language on Creole in other parts of the Carribean, its influence in Jamaican poetry, and its effects on standard Jamaican English. This revised edition includes a new introduction that outlines the changes that have occurred since the book first appeared and a new chapter, 'Dread Talk in the Diaspora', that discusses Rastafarian as used in the urban centres of North America and Europe.Pollard provides a wealth of examples of Rastafarian language-use and definitions, explaining how the evolution of these forms derives from the philosophical position of the Rasta speakers: 'The socio-political image which the Rastaman has had of himself in a society where lightness of skin, economic status, and social privileges have traditionally gone together must be included in any consideration of Rastafarian words, for the man making the words is a man looking up from under, a man pressed down economically and socially by the establishment'.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Dread Talk is one of the most dramatic examples of the imbrication of language, culture and society to be found anywhere, and no one has explored this topic with as much sensitivity, detail, and insight as Velma Pollard. I regard this book as required reading for sociolinguists and linguistic anthropologists, and I recommend it enthusiastically to scholars in social and cultural anthropology, sociology, comparative literature, lexicography, Caribbean Studies, and Africana/Black Studies." John R. Rickford, Martin Luther King, Jr., Centennial Professor of Linguistics and Director, African and Afro-American Studies, Stanford University.

Product Details

• Paperback: 96 pages
• Publisher: McGill-Queen's University Press; Rev Sub edition (May 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0773520309
• ISBN-13: 978-0773520301
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #678,063 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #51 in Books > History > Americas > Caribbean & West Indies > Jamaica

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Overstanding the Language of I-man, July 25, 2000

By 

T. C. Ross (Washington, D.C.) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Dread Talk: The Language of the Rastafari (Paperback)

With Dread Talk, Velma Pollard has done a remarkable job of both describing the language of Rastafarians, highlighting its growth from and influence upon Standard Jamaican English and Jamaican Patois, and explaining the cultural and philosophical rationale behind the language. She also tracks its influence, growth and spread across the Caribbean and around the world. Linguists and others interested in the growth of language (especially when the growth is partially shaped by a sociocultural agenda) should find Dread Talk an interesting read. Especially illuminating are the discussions of the ways new words are formed and the illustrations of these processes from Rasta poetry and reggae music.