Langauge plays a major role in all aspects of society. The most obvious is its social role of allowing persons to communicate and relate to each other, share information, emotions and ways of life.
Your speech conveys specific impressions to an audience. People form impressions of your personality, emotional state, geographic origin, age, or socioeconomic status from the language you use and the way you use it. Some impressions are formed largely because of societal and personal attitudes to certain types of language.
People often adopt certain linguistic behaviours that they believe would create more favourable impressions of themselves, or enable them to fit in with the crowd.
In the Caribbean there are varying attitudes to language. This is due mainly to our history, people of the region tend to place a high value on standard langaugesas it is the langauge of power and economic might. Most persons believe that upward mobility is largely dependent on one's ability to fit in with the predominant socioeconomic class, and language is the main signifier of fitting in.
Most Caribbean persons tend to use a 'twang' or take on a new accent in order to fit in and be seen in a higher social class. Persons view proficiency in spoken English would gain them respect from others as well as allow them to get a job, advance their career, makes them feel mature and proud. Proficiency in Standard English is necessary if person want to travel or widen their horizons.
Attitudes to language vary from one sector of the society to another and some people demonstrate self-conscious behaviour when speaking the standard language.
Some persons view the use of Creole as the langugae to be used among friends and families.
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