Introduction & Background

Across all cultural groups, language emerges as a central part of their discourse. Words are the primary means by which communities express their values, thoughts, and customs. Speakers of Caribbean lects, in particular, use language in ways as unique as their lects’ histories. Rivkin and Ryan (2004) describe it as a way for these individuals to construct, make sense of, and maintain the reality of their culture (p. 55). But interestingly, West Indians seldom use their creoles—which may be English "in terms of its lexicon" but "not English in terms of its syntax" (Brathwaite, 2004, p. 1154)—in interactions with speakers of other English varieties. This can be seen in the modification, substitution, or even abandonment of their dialect in such cases. Reinecke (1938) argues that this results from these languages being globally regarded as "marginal, deviant, unintelligible, inferior tongues" (p. 535).

Against this background, I arrive at one conclusion: language plays a key role in how West Indians interact with one another and foreigners alike. Although their communication has been studied, there has not yet been a focus on how speakers of Caribbean varieties living in the United States navigate and function linguistically. This gap needs to be filled in order to better understand these creoles. Indeed, if they are universally regarded as incomprehensible and lesser (Reinecke, 1938, p. 535), then steps must be taken to uncover why this is the case in non-Caribbean regions, learn how these attitudes affect speakers, and counter these attitudes. Through interviews and surveys with a wide range of Caribbean Americans, I aim to gain insight into the role of their speeches not only in different contexts but also with different groups of people.

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Research Question: How do those who speak Caribbean lects use language both inside and outside of their communities? CLICK HERE FOR REVISION REFLECTION!