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D'Costa often uses
Jamaican Creole for dialogue alongside Standard English. Her use of language, together with her understanding that her works are models for children's own literary attempts, makes her books natural subjects for classroom discussion.
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Writing for children on the cusp of teenhood, D'Costa addresses "their need to relate to actuality ... and their need to retain some of the comforting illusions of childhood". To satisfy the latter need, she draws from
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are assigned by many teachers. Students have corresponded with D'Costa and she has accepted invitations to speak in schools. Her works have been lauded for preserving and conveying
Jamaican speech rhythms and dialect.
208:(1976), have been used in schools throughout Jamaica and the Caribbean region. Her novels are geared primarily towards children aged 11 to 13. She researched and wrote extensively on Jamaican creole
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252:, for example, D'Costa addresses children's perceptions about death and the supernatural. She also references the oral tales that were traditionally told "at
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from 1949 to 1954 on a government merit scholarship. She earned another scholarship to pursue a bachelor's degree in
English literature and language at
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and linguistics at
University College of the West Indies. She also served as a consultant to Jamaica's Ministry of Education on
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212:., and published handbooks for service agencies in Jamaica, including the Kingston office of the United States
776:"Duppies and other Revenants: with particular reference to the use of the supernatural in Jean D'Costa's work"
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stories", in which ghosts or unsettled spirits return to haunt the land of the living. In her third novel,
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D'Costa continued her creative writing while teaching and consulting. Her two most popular novels,
173:(now UWI, Mona) from 1955 to 1958, and another scholarship for a master's degree in literature at
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Core Phrase List and
Vocabulary Items in Jamaican Usage: For Use by Peace Corps Volunteers
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has been required reading in the "first grade" of
Jamaican high schools since 1972, while
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312:(Institute of Jamaica, 1994) for contributions to children's literature and linguistics
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260:". D'Costa paints a vivid picture of historical and contemporary Jamaican countryside.
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Caribbean
Literary Discourse: Voice and Cultural Identity in the Anglophone Caribbean
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for the plots, themes, and tone of her works. Prominent in
Caribbean folklore are "
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Over Our Way: A Collection of
Caribbean Short Stories for Young Readers\year=1980
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in the newly independent country, and served on various education committees.
161:. She attended rural elementary schools, and then St. Hilda's High School in
133:, and professor emeritus. Her novels have been praised for their use of both
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D'Costa retired from
Hamilton College in 1998, with the title of professor
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289:. She married David D'Costa, a journalist, in 1967. They relocated to
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minister. They moved to the capital, Kingston in 1944, and then to
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Fifty Caribbean Writers: A Bio-bibliographical Critical Sourcebook
245:
742:. The University of the West Indies. August 2006. Archived from
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Voices in Exile: Jamaican Texts of the 18th and 19th centuries
302:
Children's Writers Award (Jamaican Reading Association, 1976)
16:
Jamaican children's novelist, linguist and professor emeritus
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Roger Mais: The Hills Were Joyful Together and Brother Man
608:. Caribbean Communications Project/Arawidi Limited. 1980.
536:
Language in Exile: Three Hundred Years of Jamaican Creole
780:"Return" in Post-colonial Writing: A Cultural Labyrinth
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Gertrude Flesh Bristol Award (Hamilton College, 1984)
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where she stayed until 1998. She taught Old English,
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836:The Cambridge Guide to Women's Writing in English
703:. Greenwood Publishing Group. pp. 160–165.
635:Some Considerations of Tone in Jamaican Creole
219:In 1980, D'Costa received a professorship at
185:In 1962, after Oxford, she returned to teach
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935:People from Saint Andrew Parish, Jamaica
458:. Ministry of Education, Jamaica. 1972.
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840:. Cambridge University Press. p.
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530:(with Barbara Lalla and Velma Pollard)
778:. In Vera Mihailovich-Dickman (ed.).
560:. University of Alabama Press. 2009.
539:. University of Alabama Press. 2009.
518:. University of Alabama Press. 2014.
227:, creative writing, and linguistics.
171:University College of the West Indies
125:(born 13 January 1937) is a Jamaican
83:University College of the West Indies
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809:. Carlong Publishers. Archived from
920:21st-century Jamaican women writers
915:20th-century Jamaican women writers
145:Jean Constance Creary was born in
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910:Jamaican women children's writers
895:Recipients of the Musgrave Medal
807:"Meet The Authors: Jean D'Costa"
398:. Addison-Wesley Longman. 1996.
930:21st-century Jamaican novelists
925:20th-century Jamaican novelists
605:Language and Dialect in Jamaica
618:. Family Liaison Office. 1978.
1:
628:. Peace Corps Jamaica. 1979.
395:Caesar and the Three Robbers
438:. Longman Caribbean. 1976.
418:. Longman Caribbean. 1978.
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782:. Rodopi. pp. 23–32.
869:"Great read for children"
940:Jamaican women novelists
322:Novels and short stories
141:Early life and education
435:Escape to Last Man Peak
270:Escape to Last Man Peak
205:Escape to Last Man Peak
774:Bridget Jones (1994).
691:Joyce Johnson (1986).
297:Awards and recognition
137:and Standard English.
123:Jean Constance D'Costa
486:. Longman Caribbean.
330:Jenny and the General
96:Children's literature
34:Jean Constance Creary
873:Jamaica Gleaner News
832:Sage, Lorna (1999).
597:Linguistic handbooks
572:(with Barbara Lalla)
551:(with Barbara Lalla)
350:Miss Bettina's House
225:Caribbean literature
191:education in Jamaica
697:Dance, Daryl Cumber
470:(2nd edition, 1990)
147:St. Andrew, Jamaica
127:children's novelist
63:Professor, linguist
905:Women anthologists
640:(with Jack Berry)
581:. Longman. 1978.
415:Voice in the Wind
378:. Longman. 1997.
367:Hazel D. Campbell
353:. Carlong. 2004.
333:. Carlong. 2006.
274:Voice in the Wind
250:Voice in the Wind
238:Jamaican folklore
175:Oxford University
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87:Oxford University
53:Colony of Jamaica
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815:. Retrieved
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163:Brown's Town
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25:Jean D'Costa
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890:1937 births
475:Anthologies
375:Duppy Tales
258:nine-nights
214:Peace Corps
202:(1972) and
187:Old English
884:Categories
851:0521668131
789:9051836481
645:References
588:0582785006
493:0582765676
445:0582765757
425:0582767180
405:0582288142
385:0582297931
360:9766380694
340:9766380767
60:Occupation
49:St. Andrew
39:1937-01-13
293:in 1997.
155:St. James
151:Methodist
71:English,
817:21 April
750:21 April
287:emeritus
159:Trelawny
131:linguist
68:Language
699:(ed.).
638:. 1971.
308:Silver
291:Florida
210:culture
167:St. Ann
104:Silver
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498:(with
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365:(with
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231:Themes
181:Career
113:Spouse
108:(1994)
695:. In
507:Books
254:wakes
246:duppy
93:Genre
846:ISBN
819:2014
784:ISBN
752:2014
705:ISBN
583:ISBN
562:ISBN
541:ISBN
520:ISBN
488:ISBN
460:ISBN
440:ISBN
420:ISBN
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380:ISBN
355:ISBN
335:ISBN
272:and
256:and
240:and
157:and
31:Born
842:175
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