Re‐examining Caribbean English Creole Continua

This paper re‐examines the history and contemporary structure of Caribbean English creole continua, with illustration from the varied sociolinguistic situations in Belize, Guyana, Jamaica and Trinidad. It argues for the view that continua existed in these situations from the earliest period of contact, and challenges the claim that they evolve solely via ‘decreolization’ of basilects under influence from acrolects. It also argues for a co‐existent systems approach to the contemporary structure of these continua. The evidence of sociolinguistic studies supports the idea that they result from interaction between relatively stable grammars, conditioned by social and situational factors. The variation produced by this interaction provides insight into the kinds of shift and contact‐induced change that have always operated in these situations.