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Article published In: Journal of Pidgin and Creole Languages: Online-First Articles

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Small island, diverse languages

Teachers’ and students’ language attitudes in multilingual Dominica

ORCiD logo with link | University of Münster, Germany
 | University of Münster, Germany
 | University of Münster, Germany
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Available under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) 4.0 license.

For any use beyond this license, please contact the publisher at rights@benjamins.nl.

Open Access publication of this article was funded through a Transformative Agreement with University of Münster.

Published online: 8 December 2025
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https://doi.org/10.1075/jpcl.24020.ger
Abstract
This study investigates language use and attitudes among teachers and students at two secondary schools in Dominica, a multilingual Caribbean island shaped by both French and British colonial influence. Drawing on semi-structured interviews with 56 students and 11 teachers, the study explores perceptions of standard English, Dominican English Creole (DEC), and Kwéyòl. The findings show that standard English holds strong overt prestige and is widely used in formal settings, while DEC is the dominant spoken variety among students yet is often described as ‘broken English’ and socially stigmatized. Kwéyòl, associated with older generations, retains cultural value but is declining in active use among youth. Media exposure, particularly through music and social platforms, plays a key role in shaping language attitudes, often reinforcing stigmas. The findings offer insight into processes of language shift and the sociocultural positioning of local varieties in a postcolonial, digitally connected society.
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.The language situation in Dominica: Background and previous research
  • 3.Materials and method
    • 3.1Data collection
    • 3.2Qualitative content analysis
  • 4.Results
    • 4.1Standard English
    • 4.2Dominican English Creole
    • 4.3Kwéyòl
    • 4.4Kokoy
    • 4.5Media influence
  • 5.Discussion
  • 6.Conclusion
  • Acknowledgements
  • Notes
  • References
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