"To speak a language means more than to use a certain morphology and
syntax, it means to support the whole weight of a culture and
civilization" (Fanon)
Under slavery, African languages were violently suppressed. Despite
this, Africans in the Caribbean preserved the grammatical core of
their African mother tongues, while using the vocabularies of their
European slave masters. The Creole languages of the Caribbean were
born from this great creative feat of resistance.
This book starts with a brief description of the grammatical structure
of African (Niger-Congo) languages. It then examines the social and
linguistic history of the languages of the Caribbean, identifying
their debt to the languages of Africa.
This debt is also examined in the light of Creole theory up to 2014.
The oral literatures of the Caribbean Creoles and their relationship
to their audiences are considered. Their debt to the oral tradition
of West African is identified.
The final chapter looks at the implications for the teaching of
English as a second language in schools and adult education and also
considers Creoles as a medium for teaching.
This revised edition is issued in response to strong demand. The work
will be of interest to linguists, educators and policymakers and to
anyone with an interest in the history of the Caribbean.
