article

Garifuna children's language shame: ethnic stereotypes, national affiliation, and transnational immigration as factors in language choice

Language and society30 (1)Published In 2001 • Pages: 81-96

By: Bonner, Donna.

AbstractBrief abstract written by HRAF anthropologists who have done the subject indexing for the document
In this article, Bonner examines the reasons for the decline in use of the Garifuna language among children and young adults in a multilingual and multiethnic town of Dangriga, Belize. The Garifuna language is at the bottom of a language hierarchy, which includes English Creole (the “native” language of Belize), English, and Spanish. The Spanish-speaking population of Belize and the town of Dangriga has increased with recent immigration from neighboring countries, especially Mexico. Although Garifuna are shy about using their own language in multiethnic settings, as it marks their marginal status in Belize society, recently their language has become embraced by the Creole as an authentic language of the African diaspora and associated with the country's unique non-Spanish history and culture. Nevertheless, the more widely spoken English Creole has become the language of solidarity in face of 'Spanish' intrusion.
SubjectsDocument-level OCM identifiers given by the anthropology subject indexers at HRAF
Acculturation and culture contact
Speech
Linguistic identification
Ethnic stratification
cultureCulture name from the Outline of World Cultures (OWC)
Garifuna
HRAF PubDateThe date HRAF published the document
2005
RegionThe area the document pertains to
Middle America and the Caribbean
Sub RegionThe more specific area the document pertains to, which is located within the Region
Central America
Document TypeMay include journal articles, essays, collections of essays, monographs, or chapters/parts of monographs
article
Evaluation
Creator TypeThe type of person writing the document, e.g. Ethnographer, Missionary, Archaeologist, Folklorist, Linguist, Indigenous Person, and so on.
Ethnographer
Document Rating A ranking done by HRAF anthropologists based on the strength of the source material on a scale of 1 to 5, as follows: 1 - poor; 2 - fair; 3 - good, useful data, but not uniformly excellent; 4 - excellent secondary data; 5 - excellent primary data.
5: Excellent Primary Data
AnalystThe HRAF anthropologist who subject indexed the document and prepared other materials for the eHRAF culture/tradition collection
Ian Skoggard ; 2003
Field DateThe date the researcher conducted the fieldwork or archival research that produced the document
1991-1993
Coverage DateThe date or dates that the information in the document pertains to
1980-2000
Coverage PlaceLocation of the research culture or tradition (often a smaller unit such as a band, community, or archaeological site)
Dangriga, Belize
NotesAdditional notes
Donna M. Bonner
Includes bibliographical references (p. 94-96)
LCCNLibrary of Congress Control Number
72623747
LCSHLibrary of Congress Subject Headings
Garifuna (Caribbean people)