Jamaican Creole in Global Reggae and Dancehall Performances

Anika Gerfer is a Postdoctoral Researcher in the English Department at the University of Münster

• 1. Introduction to Cultural Appropriation in Reggae and Dancehall Performances2. Jamaican Creole in Jamaica3. The History of Language Use in Jamaican Music4. Cultural and LInguistic Appropriation5. Study I: The Use of Jamaican Creole in Global Reggae and Dancehall Performances6. Study II: Jamaicans’ Perceptions of and Attitudes Towards Jamaican Creole in Global Reggae and Dancehall Performances7. Discussion8. ConclusionReferencesAuditory stimuliAppendices

The reggae music of Jamaica has helped spread the island’s creole language throughout the world and encouraged numerous international artists to use it in their own performances. Anika Gerfer offers the reader careful sociolinguistic analyses of such acts of linguistic crossing and a balanced discussion of the cultural and political issues it raises. Highly recommended for readers in creole linguistics, World Englishes and postcolonial studies.