On January 13th – 14th 2011, the International Centre for Caribbean Language Research (ICCLR) and the Jamaican Language Unit at the University of the West Indies, headed by Professor Hubert Devonish, held an International Conference on Language Policy in the Creole-speaking Caribbean in Kingston, Jamaica.
The Conference brought together professional linguists and educators, on one hand, and those who, because of their role in culture, education, administration and politics, hold responsibility for language policy, culture and education on the other and sought to bring about a Caribbean-wide consensus on how this region linguistic complexity should be handled based on a draft Charter on Language Policy and Language Rights in the Creole Speaking Caribbean and its implementation.
The Governor-General of Jamaica, His Excellency Sir Patrick Allen, opened the Conference.
Present at the opening ceremony were several dignitaries from Jamaica and from various Caribbean countries, who were welcomed by Professor Nigel Harris, Vice-Chancellor of the University of the West Indies.
In attendance at the Conference were Her Excellency Dame Pearlette Louisy, Governor-General of St. Lucia, His Excellency Sir Colville Young, Governor General of Belize, Dr. Jacqui Quinn-Leandro, Minister of Education, Sports, Youth and Gender of Antigua, and other distinguished guests, as well as representatives of several universities in the Caribbean, the United States and the United Kingdom.
Dr. Marta Dijkhoff from Curaçao, who gave the keynote address entitled: Language Policy and Language Rights, presented a historical overview of the tireless efforts of Caribbean linguists to get recognition for the languages of Caribbean people over the past 50 years. She divided the Caribbean linguists in three generations and referred to the late Dennis Craig, the late Richard Allsop, Mervyn Alleyne, Frank Martinus, Ian Robertson, e.a. as the first generation Caribbean linguists. According to her, these linguists were mainly interested in the theoretical aspects of Caribbean languages. They were also mentors of the second generation linguists, which included Professor Devonish, Drs. Richardson and herself and others, who besides looking at the languages from a theoretical perspective, were also eager to have these languages fully recognized and used alongside the official languages in the highest echelons of the societies where they are spoken.
She further elaborated on the work of the Linguistic Institute of the Netherlands Antilles by Dr. Frank Martinus, Drs. Linda Richardson and herself. Particular mention was made of the project: Removal of Language Barriers throughout the Caribbean under the auspices of CDCC and the establishment of the Caribbean Language Institute, both spearheaded by Richardson, Frank Martinus and Dijkhoff. Regrettably, the dream of setting up the CLI was never realized.
In her address, she also paused at the memory of the famous Haitian linguist, Pierre Vernet who on January 12, 2010 died in the earthquake together with 100 of his students and the majority of the linguists who worked at the Faculty of Applied Linguistics, which he founded at the State University of Haiti. Pierre Vernet was in large part responsible for the recognition of Haitian Creole as a full-fledged language.
At the end of her address, Dr. Dijkhoff called on the Caribbean linguists of the third generation to take up the torch to light the way to the future and to find a mission and seek to fulfill it, like the generations before did.
, presented a historical overview of the tireless efforts of Caribbean linguists to get recognition for the languages of Caribbean people over the past 50 years. She divided the Caribbean linguists in three generations and referred to the late Dennis Craig, the late Richard Allsop, Mervyn Alleyne, Frank Martinus, Ian Robertson, e.a. as the first generation Caribbean linguists. According to her, these linguists were mainly interested in the theoretical aspects of Caribbean languages. They were also mentors of the second generation linguists, which included Professor Devonish, Drs. Richardson and herself and others, who besides looking at the languages from a theoretical perspective, were also eager to have these languages fully recognized and used alongside the official languages in the highest echelons of the societies where they are spoken.
The panel on Developments in Language Policy and Practice in the Creole-Speaking Caribbean over the past 50 years included Dame Pearlette Louisy, Governor-General of St. Lucia, and Sir Colville Young, Governor General of Belize, as well as Professor Dr. Lawrence Carrington of the University of the West Indies and Dr. Dijkhoff and Drs. Richardson, both linguists and both having served as Ministers of Education and Culture of the former Netherlands Antilles.
In her presentation, Drs. Richardson gave a comparative overview of the language policy and language practices on both French and Dutch St. Maarten. She also elaborated on her contribution as a linguist/educator to the decade long language of instruction debates throughout the Netherlands Antilles and highlighted several measures she took as Minister of Education and Culture of the Netherlands, such as: the introduction of Papiamentu in Kindergarten and the first two years of elementary education in Curaçao and Bonaire; the implementation of English as language of instruction throughout elementary and secondary education in Saba in an attempt to reduce the high rate of retention and drop-outs and the signing of a protocol with the then Executive Council of St. Maarten to establish a committee to look into possibilities of introducing bilingual education on St. Maarten.
The main focus of the Conference was the review of the draft Charter on Language Policy and Language Rights in Creole Speaking Caribbean, the implementation of which was discussed in several working groups dealing with the violation of linguistic rights and human rights in several sectors of Caribbean communities, such as the education system, public administration, law, and the work place. The status of endangered languages in the Caribbean was also a point of discussion.
At the end of the Conference, the final draft of the Charter was presented to the general public, to the media and to other invited guests and stakeholders. The charter will be forwarded to several international organizations, including CARICOM and UNESCO. In the meantime, the Conference attendees are requested to inform the Government and people of their countries of the Charter on Language Policy and Language Rights and the establishment of a Regional Language Council. Professor Hubert Devonish hopes to visit several countries to assist in the dissemination of information on the Charter.
Drs. Richardson commends the St. Maarten Chamber of Commerce and Industry for recognizing the importance of St. Maarten participation in this International Conference and for making it possible for her to participate in the deliberations at the conference.
Drs. Linda A. Richardson January 2011