"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.
P>Review There is some very detailed analysis of linguistics and language structure which might support academic study of the subject at college or university. But the reader will also find a wealth of excellent information on the history of Caribbean Creole language and St Lucian Kweyol in particular. This is a very useful book for anyone wishing to understand more about the cultural influences in the Caribbean. It provided me with a fascinating insight into the culture of the land of my birth. About the Author: Morgan Dalphinis was born in Saint Lucia West Indies and arrived in England aged 11. He has published many articles and 3 books on Caribbean and African languages and on Educational issues. He has taught in all education phases except primary and worked as a General, Senior and Chief Inspector of schools in London education authorities. He has also worked as Executive Manager, Academic Development, City College Birmingham, Chief Executive of the Urban Learning Foundation and Head of School for Health Care and Early Years Professions and Senior Faculty Manager: Quality at Newham College. He also has carried out consultancy work on curriculum and evaluation for UNESCO, the Ministries of Education in Saint Lucia and Jamaica as well as for CfBT, Peckham Voluntary Sector Forum and the Windsor Fellowship. He currently works as a part-time lecturer in Business and is completing a number of publications.Morgan has a PhD in Caribbean and African languages, an MBA, a BA (Hons.) in Linguistics and Hausa and a PGCE in ESOL and French.- We ship across Australia, including major cities like: Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Brisbane, Adelaide, Canberra, Newcastle and the Gold Coast