National Anthropological Archives

Guide to the Frederic G. Cassidy papers and sound recordings concerning Jamaican language, 1951-1991

Summary

Collection ID:
NAA.2008-22
Creators:
Cassidy, Frederic Gomes, 1907-
Dates:
1951 -1991
bulk 1951-1952
Languages:
Jamaican
;
Creole
;
English
Physical Description:
1 Linear foot
15 Sound tape reels
Repository:
The Frederic G. Cassidy papers contain sound recordings and partial transcriptions; drafts of manuscripts and conference papers; and one map, all relating to his work on Jamaican and Creole lanugages.

Scope and Contents

Scope and Contents
Of primary interest in the Frederic G. Cassidy papers are his 1952 sound recordings of everyday Jamaican people. The recordings are itemized and described according to a typed inventory found among the papers. There are partial handwritten notes and transcriptions of some of the recordngs as well as a map of Jamaica which Cassidy used in his field work. The papers also contain drafts of articles and conference papers on Jamiacan and Creole languages. It is not clear which, if any, of these drafts were published.

Biographical / Historical

Biographical / Historical
Frederic Gomes Cassidy (1907-2000) was a Jamaican-born lexicographer who is best known as a long time editor and director of the Dictionary of American Regional English (DARE) Project at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, where he was a professor of English. In 1951 Cassidy received a Fullbright Research Fellowship to go back to Jamaica to interview people about their daily lives. These recordings became the source for Jamaica Talk (1961) and the Dictionary of Jamaican English (1967) which he co-authored with R.B.LePage.

Administration

Author
Daisy Njoku
Immediate Source of Acquisition
This collection was donated to the National Anthropological Archives by Claire M. Cassidy and Michael Cassidy in 2008.
Processing Information
Processed and encoded by Daisy Njoku 2017.

Using the Collection

Preferred Citation
Manuscript 2008-22 Frederic G. Cassidy papers concerning Jamaican language, National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution
Conditions Governing Use
Contact repository for terms of use.
Conditions Governing Access
The Frederic G. Cassidy papers and sound recordings are open for research. Access to the Frederic G. Cassidy papers and sound recordings requires an appointment. Use of archival audiovisual recordings with no duplicate access copy requires advance notice.

Related Materials
Digital surrogates of the sound recordings are also held by the Dictionary of American Regional English at the University of Wisconsin and at the University of the West Indies Archives in Kingston, Jamaica.

Keywords

Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
Language and languages -- Documentation Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Jamaica Geographic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Caribbean Geographic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Creole dialects Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Rastafari Cultural Context Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Gullah Cultural Context Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Pidgin languages Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid

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