Browsing by Author "Devonish, Hubert"

Now showing 1 - 5 of 5
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    Can computers talk Creole? Caribbean Creole languages in the world of micro-computers
    (Sep. 1987) Devonish, Hubert;
    This report focuses on the ways in which Caribbean Creole languages can 1) become the linguistic medium by which speakers gain access to the services provided by the modern micro-computer, and 2) be more effectively spread to the public-formal and written domain by the use of the technology
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    Language planning in the Creole-speaking Caribbean
    (Apr-Sep. 1984) Devonish, Hubert;
    As a result of anti-colonial movements in the Caribbean, Creole languages are becoming major languages of communication. Language planning has begun to focus on them. These languages must be taught to non-native speakers who want to participate fully in Caribbean culture
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    New models for old: Funding UWI for the long haul - West Indies Group of University Teachers (Jamaica)
    (2015-07-15) Devonish, Hubert
    This presentation is based on a notion that higher education and The University of the West Indies (UWI), in particular, constitute economic activities that must be incentivized in the same way that other productive enterprises are. It argues that UWI provides both significant immediate contributions to the economies and GDP of campus territories, in addition to providing the public good for which they were set up. The contributing territories are becoming increasingly reluctant or unable, depending on one's perspective, to fund the students for which they have responsibility at UWI, according to the existing funding arrangement. The consequence is that UWI is in an ongoing battle for survival, with shrinking financing from the governments, and expectations of doing more with less. The presentation seeks to shake that perception that UWI is a drag on the public purse by proving, in relation to the operations of UWI in Jamaica 2011, that the Government of Jamaica, through taxation and statutory deductions, as well as consumption taxes, collected from the operations of UWI approximately the same sum as its subvention to UWI in that same year. This was in addition to the benefits in relation to foreign exchange earnings of the country. Using UWI as a model, the presentation posits that the net contribution to UWI from its campus territory contributors is at or very close to zero. In effect, the public good for which UWI has been set up, is being provided for free. The presentation poses the problem of how that public good can be paid for since, if it is not, the goose that lays the golden egg will die for the want of feed. It goes on to explore a variety of models for funding UWI, which would both enhance its immediate economic benefits to the contributing territories, while also funding UWI in its public good mission. These models are based on the notion of UWI functioning as a provider of higher education services within the global marketplace.
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    The sociolinguistic influence of text messaging on writing English [PowerPoint presentation]
    (2013-07-10) Daley-Morris, Paula; Devonish, Hubert
    This presentation explores the sociolinguistic influence that young children's use of text messaging writing systems in their everyday lives have on their ability to write in Standard English in formal educational contexts. The issue of texting language's interference with the writings of children during schoolwork has come to the fore in recent times. Teachers and other educators have posited that this uneducative practice is an obstruction to good writing and disrupts literacy development. The researchers conducted an experiment to understand what happened when 72 Grade 5 Jamaican children were asked to write an essay, composition, or a few sentences using text messaging and later translate them into Standard English. This paper discusses the sociolinguistic practices that children employed in order to construct the samples that utilized text messaging language. It also explored the level of scribal accuracy that children were able to demonstrate through the translated samples. The findings that resulted explain the possible relationships that writing in text messaging has on children's writing in Standard English Language