Between Two Grammars, Research and Practice for Language Learning and Teaching in a Creole-speaking Environment by Beverley Bryan (review)

This book—which consists of an introduction, eight chapters, and a detailed index—offers a multidisciplinary perspective on language learning and teaching, in particular the teaching of English in Jamaica. Its author, Beverley Bryan, indicates that the work has five main aims: (i) to present an enriched view of the multiple meanings of language and English in teaching in the Caribbean; (ii) to provide tools necessary to navigate the language arena, allowing teachers to interrogate their responses to language; (iii) to generate a set of principles appropriate for teaching English in Creole-speaking environments; (iv) to review specific language teaching methodologies; and (v) to empower teachers to develop a critical perspective on their practice. The author makes a direct appeal to those who work in education, but the volume will certainly be appreciated a variety of readers, including those with interests in sociolinguistics, applied linguistics, and pedagogy.

Chapter 1, ‘Characterising the Language Situation in Jamaica,’ engages literature from Caribbean linguistics, citing the work of influential researchers in the field, including Mervyn Alleyne, Derek Bickerton, and Hubert Devonish. It includes an informative overview of the grammatical features of the island’s Creole (hereafter referred to as Jamaican) and discusses shifts in public discourse about the status of the language. Exploring the latter, Bryan examines discourse about Jamaican that have appeared in letters to the editor and notes a diachronic shift in these newspaper debates. She points out that while language issues remain contentious, today such letters tend to assume that the Creole is a full-fledged language. While the chapter does provide details about Jamaican, it does not squarely address questions how to define and distinguish the languages spoken on the island. Of course some readers are likely to already be knowledgeable of Jamaica’s linguistic history and sociolinguistic dynamics.

The second chapter, which begins with an interesting section on the emergence of formal education in Jamaica, deals with the school environment. The author indicates that language teaching on the island began with the establishment of a system of elementary education “under the aegis of the abolition arm of the church” and with the aid of the Negro Education Grant 1835–1845 (p. 24). Tensions exist between Bryan’s account of the establishment of an educational system and assertions made by Dunkley (2012). Dunkley views the Negro Educational Grant as an “additional enhancement” to a venture already in place; furthermore, he charges that to conclude that no real system was in place prior to abolition undermines the agency of the enslaved and forfeits the opportunity to “analyze one of the most important ways in which enslaved people demonstrated slave freedom” (p. 70). Readers unfamiliar with the history of the system may be surprised to learn that “payment by results,” an arrangement by which student achievement translated into money for schools, dates back to the first half of the nineteenth century. Keeping this in mind, Bryan describes competency in English during this period as a commodity, reminding us, “each mark gained was a pound for the school” (pp. 24–25).

Chapter 2’s discussion extends into the twentieth century, addressing curriculum development, access to education, and patterns of classroom interaction. In a section highlighting recent research, Bryan underscores the existence of varying degrees of bilingualism, analyzes several examples of classroom discourse, and emphasizes the importance of the teacher as a bridge between languages.

The next chapter considers how English is taught in secondary schools. It begins with an overview of relevant theories of English as an international language and a survey of scholarship on “the New Englishes.” Bryan also addresses the debate about the use of Jamaican as a language of classroom instruction. She makes a distinction between efforts to promote Jamaican as an official language and language of instruction (research by H. Devonish and projects at UWI’s Jamaican Language Unit) and opposition to such...