Olive Senior’s “Do Angels Wear Brassieres” is narrated in Caribbean Creole to target

an audience that relates to and appreciates this variety. In contrast, the dialogue
features Caribbean Standard English to reflect other varieties spoken in the region
and be accessible to non-West Indians. Although the creole may be difficult for
non-West Indians to comprehend, considering the unmarked verbs and zero copula,
they would not be completely excluded due to mutual intelligibility. Undoubtedly, a
video presentation exaggerating facial expressions, and the unfolding of the accident
in slow motion, culminating in laughter, could significantly enhance the comedic
effect of the scene.

The language choices in the narrative reflect an authentic Caribbean context while
also expanding its reach. To begin with, the story is narrated in Caribbean Creole,
demonstrated, for example, in “Mary stop braps” (line 13) and “a rain down on
Archdeacon” (line 16). Expressions like “braps” and “rain down” immediately connect
with and attract West Indians since they reflect their natural speech. The creole
narration also keeps their storytelling tradition alive. Additionally, the Caribbean
Standard English dialogue enables access to non-West Indians via mutual
intelligibility while establishing the formality accompanying the Archdeacon's
position. For example, “But what I had in mind were questions ….” (lines 1-2)
features standard lexicon and sentence structure that make the story more
comprehensible to non-West Indians. Additionally, Beccka’s formal “Please sir, do
angels wear brassieres?” indicates her awareness that social rank and context
determine language use. Therefore, the language choices enhance cultural flavour,
appeal to a wider audience, and confirm that context determines usage.

While Non-West Indians may initially be confused by the Caribbean Creole, they
would eventually understand. For example, they may find the unmarked verbs, like in
“Auntie Mary jump” (line 15) puzzling. Similarly, the zero copula and colloquialism in
“Beccka screwing up her face” (line 8) may cause the sentence to seem incomplete.
Finally, the lack of pluralization in “ten Archdeacon” (line 12) may be perceived as a
grammatical error. Despite these, mutual intelligibility and context clues would
include non-West Indian readers more than how the creole would exclude them.

A video presentation focusing on facial expressions, utilizing sound effects and

capitalizing on slow-motion technology would enhance the comedic effect. Firstly, the
Archdeacon’s pious face and rigid body could be captured as the camera zooms in on
him to comically exaggerate his holiness. Then, solemn music could accompany
Beccka’s contemplation and question, in contrast with Auntie Mary’s clumsy stop.
Slow-motion technology could then depict Cherry’s bouncing into her and spilling
everything on to the Archdeacon. Next, the camera could pan out to effectively
capture the chaotic mopping-up scene, then zoom in quickly to show Auntie Mary
and the Archdeacon awkwardly realizing their inappropriate touching. The video
could end with a shot of Beccka laughing uncontrollably at the madness, causing the
audience to laugh more.

Essentially, the language varieties make the story appealing, though non-West
Indians may find some of the creole difficult to understand. Finally, a video
presentation could enhance the comedic effect by facilitating non-verbal
communication and manipulating how the actions unfold. (511)