Posthumanism and the role of orality and literacy in language ideologies in Belize

Abstract

This article discusses language ideological data from interviews and group discussions conducted in a village in Belize. Speakers here perceive English as a formal prestige language and link this to the fact that it appears in written form and tangible materiality – that is, in the form of visual symbols in text, and in objects like grammar books or dictionaries. This contrasts with discourses on Belizean Kriol, which is mostly considered a code for oral, sound-based uses. Kriol is understood as less prone to becoming standardized and more likely subject to continuous change and creative adaption, which some interviewees consider an essential, valued characteristic of the repertoire. This shows that repertoire uses as well as ideologies of stability and ‘purity’ are entangled with media technologies, which have an impact on processes of norm development. The posthumanist hypothesis that non-human elements and technologies may be vital in human concepts is thus confirmed.