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2 Language among Trinidadian-heritage children raised in diaspora

  • Guyanne Wilson
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Acquisition and Variation in World Englishes
This chapter is in the book Acquisition and Variation in World Englishes

Abstract

Previous work on language use in Caribbean diaspora communities has focussed on language use by teenagers (Sebba [1993] 2013) and adults (Hinrichs 2014), but little attention has been paid to the language of children with Caribbean parentage raised outside the region, particularly in their pre-adolescent years. This chapter is an attempt to fill this gap by documenting the language use of five pre-adolescent children with Trinidadian parentage being raised in the United States. Using data collected via a series of interviews and elicitation tasks, the chapter examines the children’s knowledge of Trinidadian English lexical items as well as Trinidadian English phonological patterns in their speech. In contexts where Trinidadian English and Standard American English differ from each other phonologically, the children employ Standard American English pronunciation, except in the case of lexical items which are specific to Trinidadian English. Moreover, the children show low awareness of Trinidadian English lexical items. Nevertheless, sounding Trinidadian and having knowledge of Trinidadian English vocabulary is important to the children and their parents, and is a key aspect of their identity as Trinidadians living in the United States.

Abstract

Previous work on language use in Caribbean diaspora communities has focussed on language use by teenagers (Sebba [1993] 2013) and adults (Hinrichs 2014), but little attention has been paid to the language of children with Caribbean parentage raised outside the region, particularly in their pre-adolescent years. This chapter is an attempt to fill this gap by documenting the language use of five pre-adolescent children with Trinidadian parentage being raised in the United States. Using data collected via a series of interviews and elicitation tasks, the chapter examines the children’s knowledge of Trinidadian English lexical items as well as Trinidadian English phonological patterns in their speech. In contexts where Trinidadian English and Standard American English differ from each other phonologically, the children employ Standard American English pronunciation, except in the case of lexical items which are specific to Trinidadian English. Moreover, the children show low awareness of Trinidadian English lexical items. Nevertheless, sounding Trinidadian and having knowledge of Trinidadian English vocabulary is important to the children and their parents, and is a key aspect of their identity as Trinidadians living in the United States.

Chapters in this book

  1. Frontmatter I
  2. Contents V
  3. 1 The current role of children and adolescents in World Englishes research 1
  4. Part I: Language in the family
  5. 2 Language among Trinidadian-heritage children raised in diaspora 13
  6. 3 Language use patterns and strategies for children’s English language development: Insights from Chinese descendant mothers in multilingual Malaysia 37
  7. 4 Family language policies in Thailand: Multiliteracy practices and Global Englishes 59
  8. 5 Parental language ideologies and children’s language use in Singapore – raising speakers of “Standard” English? 83
  9. Part II: Language acquisition and language learning in multilingual contexts
  10. 6 Syntactic and lexical complexity in CLIL and EFL written production: Evidence for ELF as a WEs paradigm in Turkey 111
  11. 7 Investigating child language acquisition from a joint perspective: A comparison of traditional and new L1 speakers of English 133
  12. 8 Speech rhythm in Cameroon English: A cross-generational study 159
  13. 9 From second to first language: Language shift in Singapore and Ireland 177
  14. Part III: Attitudes and identity
  15. 10 Children’s language attitudes in a World Englishes community: A focus on St. Kitts 205
  16. 11 Youth identity as linguistic identity: Political engagement and language acquisition and use in Hong Kong 227
  17. 12 Varieties of English and Third Culture Kids in Hong Kong 255
  18. 13 Variation and change in the NURSE vowel in Trinidadian English: An apparent-time analysis of adolescent and adult speakers 279
  19. 14 How linguistically tolerant or insecure are school-aged children? A matched-guise, gamified approach for 6- to 12-year-olds in Canada 307
  20. 15 Caught between languages and cultures: Exploring linguistic and cultural identity among Maldivian adolescents 335
  21. Part IV: Summary and discussion
  22. 16 Conclusion and envoi: Language acquisition at the intersection of sociolinguistics and World Englishes research 361
  23. Index 379
https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110733723-002

Chapters in this book

  1. Frontmatter I
  2. Contents V
  3. 1 The current role of children and adolescents in World Englishes research 1
  4. Part I: Language in the family
  5. 2 Language among Trinidadian-heritage children raised in diaspora 13
  6. 3 Language use patterns and strategies for children’s English language development: Insights from Chinese descendant mothers in multilingual Malaysia 37
  7. 4 Family language policies in Thailand: Multiliteracy practices and Global Englishes 59
  8. 5 Parental language ideologies and children’s language use in Singapore – raising speakers of “Standard” English? 83
  9. Part II: Language acquisition and language learning in multilingual contexts
  10. 6 Syntactic and lexical complexity in CLIL and EFL written production: Evidence for ELF as a WEs paradigm in Turkey 111
  11. 7 Investigating child language acquisition from a joint perspective: A comparison of traditional and new L1 speakers of English 133
  12. 8 Speech rhythm in Cameroon English: A cross-generational study 159
  13. 9 From second to first language: Language shift in Singapore and Ireland 177
  14. Part III: Attitudes and identity
  15. 10 Children’s language attitudes in a World Englishes community: A focus on St. Kitts 205
  16. 11 Youth identity as linguistic identity: Political engagement and language acquisition and use in Hong Kong 227
  17. 12 Varieties of English and Third Culture Kids in Hong Kong 255
  18. 13 Variation and change in the NURSE vowel in Trinidadian English: An apparent-time analysis of adolescent and adult speakers 279
  19. 14 How linguistically tolerant or insecure are school-aged children? A matched-guise, gamified approach for 6- to 12-year-olds in Canada 307
  20. 15 Caught between languages and cultures: Exploring linguistic and cultural identity among Maldivian adolescents 335
  21. Part IV: Summary and discussion
  22. 16 Conclusion and envoi: Language acquisition at the intersection of sociolinguistics and World Englishes research 361
  23. Index 379
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