Kwéyòl in Postcolonial Saint Lucia

Can historically marginalized, threatened languages be saved in the contemporary global era? In relation to the wider postcolonial world, especially the Caribbean, this book focuses on efforts to preserve and promote Lesser Antillean French Creole – Kwéyòl – as the national language of Saint Lucia and on the legacy of colonialism and impact of globalization, with which English has become the universal lingua franca, as mitigating factors undermining these efforts. It deals specifically with language planning for democratization and government; literacy, the schools and higher education; and the mass media. It also examines changes in the status of and attitudes toward Kwéyòl, English and French since national independence and presents language planning implications from these changes and steps already undertaken to elevate Kwéyòl. The book offers new insight into globalization and its impact on linguistic pluralism, language planning, national development, Creole languages, and cultural identity in the Caribbean.

Joshua Nash, University of Adelaide, on Linguist List 23.2265, 2012:
This volume is intelligently presented and, as the Table of Contents attests, provides a concise yet comprehensive description of the sociolinguistic situation in the Caribbean vis-à-vis colonial languages and non-standard varieties relevant to Saint Lucian Kwéyòl.