TThe Caribbean is usually divided along the lines of Dutch, English, French and Spanish – with some overlap between these languages, such as in Belize, Puerto Rico and the “ABC” and “SSS” islands (Aruba, Bonaire, Curacao, Sint Eustatius, Sint Maarten and Saba) … only because languages do not respect borders.
These colonial languages have long held official status and influence – in law, education and other official areas. But the two languages born in the Caribbean, Papiamentu/Papiamento and Haitian Kreyòl are often forgotten in the official lineup, still fighting for full respect and recognition in their native countries.
With about 45 million inhabitants, the Caribbean is much more multilingual than it officially appears. We can proudly claim a great sociolinguistic diversity that speaks to our history, present and future.
Our 70 plus languages include 23 American languages from five language families; four official European languages; an African language; 23 creole languages (probably more); over 10 sign languages; and 10 others (including religious, commercial and heritage languages of various origins).
Some are finally on their way to being officially and socially recognized in their nations.
To put the importance of this in context, the Americas – with around 1,000 languages – is a region that in recent centuries has both suffered severe language loss and witnessed the birth of new languages, particularly in the Caribbean.
Of the 55 separate political entities across North and South America, 32 are in the Caribbean (over 50%) – both island archipelago and mainland. The Greater Caribbean is defined as Belize, French Guiana, and Guyana, plus Venezuela and Colombia, and nearly all Central American countries have Caribbean coastlines, connections, and languages—as well as parts of North America.
So linguistically, not all Caribbean territories fit easily into neat boxes. Six are officially bilingual, even trilingual. Even 26 de jure monolingual territories are de facto bilingual and multilingual.
There are five official Dutch multilingual entities, and all but Suriname (which has the most indigenous creole languages) officially recognize more than one language. Of the 21 official English territories, two are bilingual states. Among the four official French areas, Haiti stands out as Kreyòl-official and French-official, and has three official Spanish territories (including one officially bilingual country and others that use Spanish).
Although English claims the largest number of political subjects, most are in the Lesser Antilles. Meanwhile, Spanish is spoken by over 26 million people in the Caribbean, mostly in the Greater Antilles, and is the official language that claims the most speakers in the entire Caribbean – not English.
And it is Kreyòl – along with its sister varieties categorized under the umbrella of Caribbean/Antillean French Creole – that is actually the number two language of the Caribbean. It is spoken by 13 million people – over 11 million in Haiti alone (not to mention the diaspora) – and more than seven other Caribbean territories.
By comparison, the European Union has 24 official languages, 15 (or 63%) of which belong to nations with populations under 11 million.
For for a long time, Caribbean languages have been considered unsuitable for official use. They are regularly compared negatively to European languages and are often called “dialects”, “broken” or other defensive descriptors.
Most Caribbean languages, especially creoles and sign languages (and their users), have had to deal with negative language attitudes and disrespect—not to mention outright discrimination and stereotyping (except perhaps in the arts, such as song , theater and some literary works).
Knowing the history of the now highly respected European languages provides much needed perspective. English itself – now a world language at the top of the scale of respectability – had a low status vis-à-vis French for centuries until it finally came into its own in education, religion and politics (although French- and Latin-based vocabulary still dominate in these fields to this day).
But some overdue and exciting things are happening in the Caribbean. The Charter on Language Policy and Language Rights in the Creole-speaking Caribbean (Kingston 2011) approaches language as a human rights issue; it speaks to every area of human existence where language matters; seeks to end discrimination against Caribbean language users; and provides a framework for language planning and language policy-making at any level – whether institutional or national or regional.
In the Creole-speaking Caribbean, Aruba, Curaçao, and the Caribbean Netherlands have long worked to protect, promote, and privilege the position of Papiamento and Papiamentu, while Jamaica and Saint Lucia have moved forward with the help of linguists.
The latter has developed a national policy that promotes bilingualism – St Lucian French Creole (Kwéyòl) and English – and makes Kwéyòl official. Jamaica has debated and discussed the same for Jamaican Creole (Patwa) and English, and Trinidad & Tobago also has a draft language education policy (2010).
Interestingly, the pandemic helped change public perception of marginalized languages and their users, with translations of COVID-19 information in thousands of languages around the world and right here in the Caribbean, especially in Guyana and Jamaica.
orAll languages are equally and inherently worthy of respect and study. Both linguistically and sociolinguistically, the Caribbean is, in fact, a living laboratory for old and new words for colonial and creole languages.
In this UNESCO International Decade of Indigenous Languages (2022–32), it is time for the Caribbean to embrace its wealth of linguistic diversity, starting at home – from the cradle to the university and beyond.
Many territories celebrate international language days, including International Mother Language Day (February 21); International Sign Language Day (September 23); and International Creole Day (February 28), started in Saint Lucia. All help raise awareness of languages and human rights issues – including the particular challenge faced by refugees and forced migrants, who must learn both official and vernacular languages (the latter being forgotten more often).
And yet issues of inequality and shame persist, rooted in attitudes and perspectives, not the intrinsic value of a particular language, and in turn shaped by money, politics and power – more specifically, the socio-economic powerlessness of speakers , past and present. The status of the language reflects the status of the people.
How does one become a high status language? Historically, through conquest, colonization and campaigning.
Among the activists of our time are Caribbean universities and other institutions working toward language recognition, rights, and redemption. These include the University of the West Indies, the University of Guyana, the Universidad de Puerto Rico, the Université des Antilles and the Université de Guyane, with linguistics departments and organizations such as the Society for Caribbean Linguistics (1972), the Center for Popular Research (1973), the Groupe d ‘Études et de Recherches en Espace Créolophone et Francophone (1975), Campus Caribbean Yard (2014) and more.
Further, about 25 universities in North America and Europe have also offered courses and programs in Haitian Kreyòl (if not in) especially Jamaican Kreyòl (Caribbean music and festivals are big draw cards).
Cthe people of Saudi Arabia love our words (and our dictionaries) – now is the time to love and appreciate more, to be proud of every aspect of our people and our languages, despite their painful histories and humble beginnings.
Caribbean languages are at the heart of the intangible linguo-cultural heritage that must be protected before the users of these languages continue to suffer and/or disappear. Two Caribbean communities and their languages and cultures are on UNESCO’s List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity – namely the Garifuna in four countries and the Maroons in Jamaica.
Like ecological loss, language and culture loss are often irreparable. Like a balanced ecology where all species should be protected where possible, all languages should be treated equally and documented for posterity. Language movements around the world have also seen powerful changes in psyche and society when learners’ languages are respected and used.
Our languages provide insight into who we are as a people today – how we think, function and see the world, and yes, where we came from. All our languages are central to our identity.
So the next Caribbean destination (mainland or archipelago) you visit, pay attention and you will hear and see our history and heartbeat in the languages around you.
