LANGUAGE SHIFT AND THE REDEFINITION OF SOCIAL BOUNDARIES AMONG THE CARIB OF BELIZE (LABOR, GARIFUND, BLACK, CIVIL SERVICE, ETHNICITY).
Item
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Title
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LANGUAGE SHIFT AND THE REDEFINITION OF SOCIAL BOUNDARIES AMONG THE CARIB OF BELIZE (LABOR, GARIFUND, BLACK, CIVIL SERVICE, ETHNICITY).
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Identifier
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AAI8614715
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identifier
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8614715
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Creator
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WRIGHT, PAMELA ANN.
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Contributor
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Edward Bendix
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Date
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1986
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Language
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English
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Publisher
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City University of New York.
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Subject
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Anthropology, Cultural
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Abstract
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This dissertation examines the language shift process among the Carib of Belize. The language shift is explained as an intergenerational phenomenon in which children extend the language associated with power in their social context into their family by not using the traditional Arawakan language of their family but Belizean English. This association of Belizean English with power is the result of the entry of the Carib into public sector labor. This entry has resulted in new class distinctions among the ethnic group of the Carib. The intellectuals of this class utilize the authority of their education and forms acquired in that education to redirect ethnic consciousness, associating it with national identity. In Chapter 2 I discuss the system of distinctions in which Carib identity was formed and developed throughout history through an analysis of terms for people in the Carib language. In Chapter 3 I review the history of Belize and examine the labor structure of the country as a result of the place of the Belizean economy in the world capitalist system. I distinguish categories of informal, formal and public sector labor. I indicate the function of public sector workers as a class created by the state. The significance of this class in Belizean politics is briefly reviewed. I conclude the chapter with a discussion of the role of the public sector workers as a medial class in Belizean politics. In Chapter 4 I trace the history of the entry of the Carib into public sector labor and discuss the social distinctions of class among the ethnic group. Descriptions of rituals and citations of writings are provided to indicate ways in which Carib intellectuals direct ethnic consciousness. I also include labor histories of public sector workers in this chapter. Chapter 5 is an examination of the intergenerational language shift. Quantitative data are presented indicating the intergenerational aspect of the language shift and the changing role of the child in the Carib family. Language histories of individuals of different ages and experiences are presented. In the concluding chapter I review my theory of intergenerational language shift comparing it with other recent sociolinguistic study.
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Type
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dissertation
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Source
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PQT Legacy CUNY.xlsx
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degree
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Ph.D.
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Program
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Anthropology
