'Creole day is every day': Language socialization, shift, and ideologies in Dominica, West Indies

The dissertation analyzes the complex links between language ideologies and linguistic practices in Dominica, a post-colonial Eastern Caribbean island nation where a French-lexicon creole language commonly known as Patwa (officially called Kweyol) has been spoken since early French colonization in the 17th century, while English has been the official language since subsequent British rule (starting 1763). Due to historical and geographical factors, there is a rural/urban split associated with each language: the most "standard" English is spoken in the capital (Roseau), while Patwa and varieties of English are spoken in rural villages. Once looked down upon by urbanites as the language of a poor rural population, Patwa has figured more centrally in the state's project of nation-building and revitalizing Dominican culture since Independence in 1978. Yet despite urban activist claims that Patwa is integral to a shared "cultural heritage," caregivers in rural villages now choose to speak English to language-learning children, asserting that Patwa hinders their acquisition of English and thus restricts social mobility. However, they simultaneously value Patwa for intimate communication and to fulfill a range of expressive functions, and frequently codeswitch in the presence of and when speaking to children. My research investigated the complex interrelations between these ideologies and the rapid language shift (from Patwa to varieties of English) ongoing in one rural village though a longitudinal child language socialization study among six families, combined with observation of classroom language practices and ideologies at school. The dissertation explores how both English and Patwa index particular social identities, places, and functions, and have become linked to local notions of personhood and expectations of children (with use of Patwa representing adult status and roles). Children learn the complex associations with both languages, and often acquire those aspects of Patwa which have particular affective saliency in their verbal environments. The study of language ideologies in conjunction with the study of child language socialization practices and everyday language use sheds light on the process of language shift, revealing that speakers hold complex views toward both languages, giving them a complementarity in everyday life.