Deafness in the Windward Islands
Open-knowledge reference entry
The Windward Islands are a group of islands in the Caribbean Sea that include Dominica, Martinique, Barbados, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, and Grenada. A variety of cultures, beliefs, languages, and views of deafness exist on the islands.
Since the 16th and 17th centuries, the Windward Islands have developed various languages that consist of many official and unofficial languages, the latter of which are usually Indigenous languages. Many people on the Windward Islands speak Creole languages. The Windward Islands have various Indigenous or Creole-signed languages following the variety of spoken languages. Creole languages typically derive from multiple sources and combine elements of different languages. Creole is derived from Pidgin, a simplified form of speech used by individuals that do not share a common language.
There are two main types of signed language in the Windward Islands. In communities with high rates of congenital deafness, there are rural or village sign languages. Both deaf and hearing people communicate using these languages, which can be called rural sign languages, shared languages, or micro-community sign languages.
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