A Sociolinguistic Analysis of the French Creole Language Situation in Dominica

Bachelor Thesis from the year 1982 in the subject English Language and Literature Studies - Linguistics, grade: A, University of the West Indies, course: Caribbean Studies Project (UC300), language: English, abstract: This paper presents an analysis of the French Creole language situation in Dominica from a largely sociolinguistic standpoint. It is hoped that it will become a valuable addition to the limited data on Caribbean Creoles and Dominican French-Creole, in particular. There exists in Dominica a rather complex linguistic situation consisting of a continuum of English-based creoles and a French-based creole all of which exist alongside the official language, Standard English. While the English-based creoles remain the language of the masses, the French Creole is considered to be the cultural language of Dominica. Data for this paper was obtained, to a limited extent, from research; there being very little documented information on the French Creole spoken in Dominica. For the most part, information was obtained from personal interaction with creole speakers, personal experience and to a lesser extent, from interviews with Government officials involved in the movement to preserve and promote the French Creole. Valuable information was also obtained from elderly relatives and family friends in the form of riddles, proverbs, anecdotes and much of the material which makes up the glossary.This paper will show that the French Creole has survived periods of criticism and obscurity. However, it has now gained a fair degree of acceptance and is steadily increasing in prominence.