Language socialization, convergence, and shift in St. Lucia, West Indies

First a French colony and then a British colony, St. Lucia has for the past two decades been an independent nation-state. The island's dual colonial history has given rise to a complex sociolinguistic setting. At Independence in 1979, English was designated the sole official language. But the majority of St. Lucians still speak Kwéyòl, a French-lexified creole language that became established during the early French colonial period. At present, Kwéyòl and English have been in sustained contact for several decades, and most St. Lucians speak some variety (or varieties) of both languages. The study explores this case of language contact and its consequences. In particular, two interrelated phenomena are examined: the attrition or decline of Kwéyòl, and the emergence of a heavily Kwéyòl-influenced variety of non-standard English (Vernacular English of St. Lucia, or VESL). The study focuses on St. Lucian language socialization practices: the culturally specific ways in which parents and other caretakers interact verbally with young children, and the ways in which children are taught, both explicitly and implicitly, to use language. Many St. Lucian adults today attempt to foster their children's acquisition of English by forbidding them to speak Kwéyòl. But often, the adults' own “English” is actually VESL, which differs significantly from standard English. Consequently, many St. Lucian children today are not mastering standard English, nor are they acquiring proficiency in Kwéyòl; rather, they are becoming monolingual speakers of VESL. The language development of five children in five different households is compared, using longitudinal data collected during fieldwork in a rural village. These micro-level, locally constituted developmental processes, observed in everyday home and community contexts, are linked to macro-level linguistic, ideological, and sociocultural changes underway in St. Lucia today. The differing language socialization strategies and practices observed, both within and across households, are shown to derive from conflicting and currently changing attitudes concerning the relationship between Kwéyòl and English, and from a certain ambivalence toward both languages. The study demonstrates that language socialization practices are key factors in processes of language change, convergence, and shift currently underway in St. Lucia.