African-Caribbeans in British sport

[Sir X]

<H2><SPAN class=mw-headline>African-Caribbeans in British sport</SPAN></H2><DL><DD>Further information: Sport in the United Kingdom</DD></DL>

British African-Caribbeans are well represented in traditional British sporting pastimes such as football and rugby, and have also represented the nation at the highest level in sports where Caribbeans typically excel in the home countries such as cricket and athletics. Some British African-Caribbeans have gone on to become international sports stars and top global earners in their chosen sporting field.

<A id=Athletics name=Athletics></A><H4><SPAN class=editsection>[edit]</SPAN> <SPAN class=mw-headline>Athletics</SPAN></H4>

Britain's first Olympic sprint medals came from Harry Edward, born in Guyana, who won two individual bronze medals at the 1920 games in Antwerp.<SUP class=reference id=_ref-Fast_0>[80]</SUP> Many years later, sprinter Linford Christie, born in Saint Andrew Parish, Jamaica, won 23 major championship medals, more than any other British male athlete to date. Christie's career highlight was winning a gold medal in the immensely competitive 100 metres event in the 1992 Barcelona Olympics.<SUP class=reference id=_ref-64>[81]</SUP> Linford Christie profile. Accessed 17 November 2006 &lt;/ref&gt; Welsh Hurdler Colin Jackson, who went to considerable lengths to explore his Jamaican heritage in a BBC documentary, held the 110 metres hurdles world record for 11 years between 1993 and 2004.<SUP class=reference id=_ref-65>[82]</SUP>

Jamaican-born Tessa Sanderson became the first British African-Caribbean women to win Olympic gold, receiving the medal for her javelin performance in the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics. Denise Lewis, of Jamaican heritage, won heptathlon gold in the <A title="2000 Summer Olympics" href="http://

[Sir X]

RE: African-Caribbeans in British sport

<H4><SPAN class=mw-headline>anguage and dialect</SPAN></H4><DL><DD>Further information: Jamaican English andEnglish-based creole languages</DD></DL>

English is the official language of the former British West Indies, therefore African-Caribbean immigrants had few communication difficulties upon arrival in Britain compared to immigrants from other regions.<SUP class=reference id=_ref-data_5>[1]</SUP> Nevertheless, indigenous Britons were generally unused to the distinct Caribbean dialects, creoles and patois (patwah) spoken by many African-Caribbeans, which would be particularly problematic in the field of education. In a study by language and education specialist Viv Edwards, The West Indian language issue in British schools, language – the Creole spoken by the students – was singled out as an important factor disadvantaging Caribbean children in British schools. The study cites negative attitudes of teachers towards any nonstandard variety noting that;<BLOCKQUOTE>

"The teacher who does not or is not prepared to recognize the problems of the Creole-speaking child in a British English situation can only conclude that he is stupid when he gives either an inappropriate response or no response at all. The stereotyping process leads features of Creole to be stigmatized and to develop connotations of, amongst other things, low academic ability."<SUP class=reference id=_ref-26>[34]</SUP></BLOCKQUOTE>

As integration continued, African-Caribbeans born in Britain instinctively adopted hybrid dialects combining Caribbean and local British dialects.<SUP class=reference id=_ref-Creole_0>[35]</SUP> These dialects and accents gradually entered mainstream British vernacular, and shades of Caribbean dialects can be heard amongst Britons regardless of cultural origin. A Lancaster University study identified an emergence in certain areas of Britain of a distinctive accent which borrows heavily from Jamaican creole, lifting some words unchanged.<SUP class=reference id=_ref-jafaican_0>[36]</SUP> This phenomenon, disparagingly named "Jafaican" meaning 'fake Jamaican', was famously parodied by comedian Sacha Baron Cohen through his character Ali G.<SUP class=reference id=_ref-jafaican_1>[36]</SUP>

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<SUP>Is that an influence or what ?</SUP>

[Tilla]

RE: African-Caribbeans in British sport

Good reads X. I learned suppen, as i didn't know Theo Walcott was of Jamaican parantage.

[Naminirt]

RE: African-Caribbeans in British sport

His mother said his grand parents are from jamaica before that every one was saying hey this youth is bajan