History, Language Policy and Costs in Saint Lucia

This chapter outlines the history and languages of St Lucia from 1654 to 1915, which formed St Lucian Kwéyòl. The main languages focused on are Carib, Wolof, Mandinka, French and English. The review of the Kwéyòl language spans the historical development up until establishment of the St Lucia Draft Language Policy in 2021. The policy aims at introducing Kwéyòl as part of the country’s education curriculum. This is followed by an examination of historical costs resulting from the Draft Policy utilising business administration tools, namely cost–benefit analysis, opportunity costs and return on capital employed. Statistics are drawn from analysis of slave records (both domestic and plantation) for St Lucia and costs based on prices paid in reparations to plantation owners. Modern costings are derived from the Government of St Lucia Statistical Digest, 2018. An assessment of the projected costs of the Draft Language Policy is made.