A Historical-Linguistic Analysis of Monumented Slave Names in Jamaica
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Slave Names Memorialized: A Historical-Linguistic Analysis of Monumented Slave Names in Jamaica Diane M. West A Research Paper in fulfilment of Master of Arts in Linguistics University of the West Indies, Mona Campus June 30, 2017 Slave Names Memorialized: A Historical-Linguistic Analysis of Monumented Slave Names in Jamaica Diane M. West Abstract A historical-linguistic examination of slave names engraved on two monuments marking the heritage sites of former slave plantations – the Mona and Papine Estates, has revealed onomastic patterns and principles of slave-naming. Patterns involve the classification of slave names while principles provide interpretations of their significance and symbolism. The study accounts sociolinguistically, for taxonomies and distribution of slave names as well as the retention, appropriation, and orthographic variabilities of Akan Day-names. Methodologically, a linguistic evaluation of the names memorialized exposed numeric, sequential, and orthographic errors of transcription as well as errors of gender-name misrepresentation and name-length demarcations. The linguistic evidence also challenges the historical accuracy of the inscribed slave-population census on both monuments, each recalculated to represent the number of enslaved persons ‚deemed to have been alive on the eve of emancipation‛ in 1832. 2 Acknowledgements Sincere thanks and acknowledgements are expressed to Professor Hubert Devonish for both introducing and supervising this research project and more so, for advocating its publication. I am indebted to Dr Suzanne Francis Brown, UWI Curator, for her seminal role in the establishment of the monuments of slave names and for her gracious and generous support in providing me guidance and primary sources throughout. Especial thanks to Professor Emeritus Barry Higman for invaluable mentoring and willingness, amidst many projects, to prioritize my enquiries and provide comments and review of this work. ‚All glory to God for making this the end and start of a wondrous journey.‛ ~DM West 3 TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................................. 7 RATIONALE OF STUDY ..................................................................................................................... 7 METHODOLOGY ................................................................................................................................. 7 Physical Location of the Monuments on the Estates .......................................................................... 8 Capturing the Data .............................................................................................................................. 9 Photographic Files .......................................................................................................................... 9 Data Processing ................................................................................................................................. 11 Transcription Method .................................................................................................................... 11 Tallying Names ............................................................................................................................. 11 Classifying Names ........................................................................................................................ 11 Bracketed Names .......................................................................................................................... 11 BACKGROUND AND CONTEXT ..................................................................................................... 12 Areas of Background Research ......................................................................................................... 12 Authenticity of the Monumented Lists ............................................................................................. 12 A Brief Linguistic History of the Slave Plantations.......................................................................... 13 The Mona Estate ............................................................................................................................... 13 The Papine Estate .............................................................................................................................. 14 Historical Map .................................................................................................................................. 16 LITERATURE REVIEW ..................................................................................................................... 17 Magnitude of Slave Registries .......................................................................................................... 19 Jamaica’s Exceptional Status ............................................................................................................ 20 PRESENTATION OF THE DATA ...................................................................................................... 22 The Data: Papine Estate .................................................................................................................... 23 Data Description: Papine Estate ........................................................................................................ 25 The Data: Mona Estate ...................................................................................................................... 27 Data Description: Mona Estate ......................................................................................................... 29 The Combined Data: A Count of Slave Names ................................................................................ 30 Mona Estate .................................................................................................................................. 30 Papine Estate ................................................................................................................................. 31 Issues with the methodology of the count ..................................................................................... 31 Peculiarity of the Monumental Data ............................................................................................. 31 Historical Description versus Linguistic Analysis of Data ............................................................... 31 4 ANALYSIS ........................................................................................................................................... 32 Name Format: Photographic Images ................................................................................................. 32 Name Format: Original Manuscripts ................................................................................................ 32 Alternate Classification of Secondary Names ............................................................................... 33 Christian ‘Names-of-Influence’ .................................................................................................... 34 Cultural Typologies: Akan-Day Names and the Names of African Slaves ...................................... 35 Distribution of Akan-Day Names ................................................................................................. 36 Distribution of Names of Africans (Mona Estate) ........................................................................ 36 Distribution of Names of Africans (Papine Estate) ....................................................................... 37 An Analysis of Akan-Day Names ................................................................................................. 37 The Case of Phoebe ...................................................................................................................... 38 An Analysis of Descriptive Names ....................................................................................................... 39 Symbolic Names ............................................................................................................................... 39 Descriptive Place Names .................................................................................................................. 39 Descriptive Names of Age, Size, Occupation, and Skin Colour ....................................................... 40 Descriptive Symbolic Names ........................................................................................................ 41 The Distribution of Classical Names on Two Estates ....................................................................... 42 Orthographic Variation ..................................................................................................................... 42 CONCLUSION ..................................................................................................................................... 43 APPENDIX ........................................................................................................................................... 44 REFERENCES ..................................................................................................................................... 45 5 LIST OF TABLES Table 1. Fluctuations of slave population at Papine Estate from 1816-1832 .................................... 15 Table 2. List of Slave Names on the UWI Monument for the Papine Estate...................................