Today I will go back to a topic that I have been on before, and this is speech, grammar, and social graces. Let me first state that I am not an expert in these areas, but my mother, Miss Zeana Fisher, brought me up well. I have also been fortunate to have worked with some top Jamaicans in the area. Thanks to the people I worked with at JBC, such as Whycliff Bennett, Leonie Forbes, and Charles Hyat, and to persons like Trevor Rhone and Yvonne Brewster, whom I worked with in theatre.
Let's start with the date. We should say August 3, and not August 3rd. 1st, 2nd, and 3rd are rankings. You therefore say the third day of August, but August three. This is a common error made by broadcasters and leaders in society.
Many have taken up this slang, "I would have". Some say that it was the police who started this trend. An overseas lawyer said to me that if a policeman used that phrase in his statement, he would tear it to pieces. It is embarrassing to hear educators, political leaders, and other leaders in society talk about, "I would have." If you did something, then you say that you did it and not that you would have done it. If you hear any of our leaders use that phrase inappropriately, please send me a recording or state when and where the statement was made. You can say, "If I were given adequate funding, I would have finished the project earlier.
Remember that 'h' is silent in words such as 'hour' and 'honour.'
We tend to drop off the 'g' from words such as morning and evening. We say mornin and evenin.
We pronounce advertisement, 'advertaisment', and that is incorrect. I will not go into details here, but we often put the emphasis on the wrong syllable in advertisement and other words. Please check your dictionary to get further clarification.
We pronounce words like "education" with a strong emphasis on the end of the word. It sounds far better to give the 'tion' the schwa sound. The same applies to words like limited. We say /limitade/ rather than /limitid/
The date should be written in the format 'Thursday, August 3, 2026.' You could also write August 3, 2026. We should not say "August third." You can say "the third of August" or "August three".
I keep on saying that the prime minister should be addressed as The Most Honourable Dr Andrew Holness. I am still waiting on someone from Jamaica House to tell me why you would put a university degree before a national title. If you have a PhD and an MSc, then the PhD would come right after your name, followed by the MSc.
People continue to refer to the prime minister's wife as the first lady. The governor general is the head of state, and therefore his wife is the first lady.
I notice that we have a bad habit of pushing dignitaries into position. This is bad manners. Use your hand to give directions. Many people hate to be touched and pushed around. The governor general certainly does not like that.
Do not hug and kiss people in public unless you have a relationship with that person and the person does not mind. I would not hug the head of the army, for example, at a formal function. If the head of the army hugs a member of one party and does not hug another, this can lead to speculation, which can impact her leadership of the army.
Those who sit in the royal box at the stadium must remember that the raised concrete at the front is not a footrest.
When you go to eat, wait until everyone at your table has been served before you start eating. There is far more that I could go into relating to table manners, which would require a booklet.
I saw a video with what seemed like the president of the nurses' association. Each time the Prime Minister opened his mouth, he did not even have time to close it. Interrupt a person politely if you have to, but refrain from butting in frequently. We should show respect for the leader of our country.
When I was in Trelawny, I was told that the worst thing to do is to turn a dishplate into a tablecloth. Many of us who hold high offices need to attend a school where we can be trained in the social graces.
If I did not get it right or I left out something that you believe is important, add your points in the comment section at the end of the blog. Thanks.
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