Language Issues in the Caribbean

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A REFLECTION PAPER BASED ON THE LANGUAGE ISSUES IN THE CARIBBEAN Disappointment was written on my face when our tutor informed the class that the homework assignment consisted of reading a chapter which would form the basis of the next class’s test. The reason for my disillusionment was the fact that it was the first session for the term in this course and already a test was scheduled for the following class. Making excuses, procrastination engulfed me until I remembered the test. At first, reading the chapter was drudgery. However, after a few paragraphs, the information was so interesting that my thoughts were soon engrossed in what the writer was portraying through the use of statistics, research, facts and citations from others. The fact that the chapter was written from a Caribbean perspective instead of from an American or European setting which is the norm for most reading material that is accessible in the Caribbean, I felt the information was more applicable to me and relevant as researched was gathered about Caribbean countries in the region and CXC Examination results also. The chapter after I finished reading it was both informative and enlightening. What stood out for me after reading it was the different language profiles in the Caribbean, how they were established, how our language was developed, problems with student motivation to learn Standard English, the need for better teacher training and the need for programmes to assist students whose vernacular hinders their ability to become more proficient in the use of Standard English. According to Simmons-McDonald (2001) the Caribbean fitted into three main language profiles which were those whose first language is English, those whose first language was an English-based vernacular and those whose first language was a creole that was not English based. Further

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