Dissertation Research: Language Socialization in Rural and Urban Communities in Dominica, West Indies

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9602870 Paugh In Dominica, a French creole (Kweyol) dating to early French colonization remains in use along with different varieties of English (the official language). An urban/rural split exists: the most "standard" English is spoken in the capital town, while Kweyol and different varieties of English are spoken throughout the rural village population. Though historically denigrated by middle- class urbanites, Kweyol has figured centrally in the state's project of building a unified post-colonial nation since Independence in 1978. But while the attitudes of many middle-class urban adults towards Kweyol are changing, rural villagers still struggle with restricted skills in English and view Kweyol as a disability. Children growing up today face a sociolinguistically complex environment where multilingualism is accompanied by multiple language ideologies concerning language choice. How children become communicatively competent in the language(s) and language ideologies of their communities in such a highly variable, multilingual creole environment will be investigated through a longitudinal child language socialization study of six children (in both town and village). The children's naturally occurring speech with various interlocutors during daily activities will be systematically audio-tape recorded, transcribed, and analyzed. This study will investigate the links between changing language ideologies and practices, language choice and identity construction, and post-colonial nation building in Dominica. It will yield data on multilingual language acquisition, the social organization of caregiving, processes of language maintenance and shift, and the learning of cultural and linguistic practices in a creole society. It will contribute to several growing areas of research including linguistic ideologies. language and nationalism, creole sociolinguistics, and Caribbean area studies. ***