The Impact of the KJV in Caribbean Bible Translation Work: An Exploratory Introduction
The KJV has impacted the English-speaking world linguistically, culturally, and literarily. In the area of Bible translation, specifically in Creole languages in the Caribbean basin, the phenomenon arises where historical translations like the KJV become pseudo-originals, functioning as the standard for subsequent translation work in any vernacular, even non-English based Creoles. While the actual history of the KJV translation strongly supports autochthonous language and subsequent theological emancipation, the historical reality is that it has been used incorrectly to disavow such efforts, including the acceptance of other valid translation types.
The Vernacular Treasure: A Century of Mother-Tongue Bible Translation
INTERNATIONAL BULLETIN OF MISSIONARY RESEARCH, Vol. 30, No. 2 W celebrate the centennial of the birth of American Pentecostalism, which in turn celebrates Pentecost— the outpouring of the Holy Spirit when people miraculously heard the wonders of God in their mother tongue. That the Holy Spirit broke through the ordinary language of communication and spoke to people in their mother tongue shows the importance of people’s linguistic and ethnic identity in the plan of God. This point is underlined again in the Book of Revelation, where the multitudes gathered around God’s throne include saints “from every tribe and language” (5:9; see also 7:9). When God speaks to us in the language we learned in our mother’s arms, the message of his acceptance of our identity penetrates the very fiber of our being. Ask anyone who has recently received God’s Word in his or her mother tongue for the first time. It awakens something that has been nearly extinguished inside and brings tears to the eyes. The need for people to have God’s Word in their mother tongue has been recognized throughout the church’s history. Although church growth is influenced by a variety of factors, times of increased emphasis on mother-tongue Scriptures, such as the Reformation, often correlate with times of church growth. Times when mother-tongue Scriptures were neglected in the communication of the Gospel, such as the early Middle Ages in Europe, often correlate with times of spiritual stagnation. Churches that experienced persecution and isolation from the rest of the Christian world, such as those in Madagascar and China, have often endured and even multiplied if they had Scriptures in local languages.1 In contrast, churches without Scripture in local languages, even those at centers of Christianity like Alexandria, have disappeared from the map.2 These correlations were evident before 1906. But now from the 100 years since 1906, what can we learn about the relationship between mothertongue Scriptures and church growth?
Communicative Competence: Theory and Classroom Practice
ABSTRACT Within the framework of viewing communicative competence as a prerequisite to linguistic competence, rather than vice versa, this paper considers the following: (1) the nature of communicative competence; (2) the implications of communicative competence for second language teaching; and (3) ways in which the teacher can begin to make a foreign language program more meaningful. Communicative competeuce is defined as what native speakers know which enables them to interact effectively with each other. Implications for the language teacher include: (T) the need for tests which measure the ability to use language; (2) the irrelevancy of sequencing surface features; (3) the need for emphasis on non-lizguistic aspects of communication; and (4) the need to re-examiLe attitudes toward students and language teaching. Practical suggestins for implementing communicative competence in the classroom include the use of spontaneous role-playing, discussions, games, radio, and the telephone. (AM)