Decolonizing language learning: the voices of Jamaican inner-city boys in a Creole-speaking environment

This study examines the linguistic challenges faced by Jamaican inner-city boys learning Standard Jamaican English within a Creole-dominant context. Using a critical phenomenological approach, the research explores how six male students and four teachers at a Jamaican high school navigate the linguistic divide between Jamaican Creole (JC) and SE. Grounded in Critical Pedagogy, Sociolinguistics, and decolonial theory, the study reveals that while students recognize the economic value of English, they often resist it because of its association with elitism, feminization, and colonial hierarchies. Students overwhelmingly favor JC for its cultural authenticity, emotional resonance, and social acceptance, positioning it as a marker of identity and masculinity. SE, in contrast, is viewed less as a personal asset than as an academic and economic requirement. These findings highlight the intersection of coloniality, gender, and raciolinguistic ideologies in shaping boys’ educational experiences. The study calls for educators to adopt a Critical Decolonial Linguistic Framework (CDLF) that affirms both JC and SE, dismantles deficit narratives, and rehumanizes language education through culturally sustaining, interactive, and decolonial practices.