Weh Wi Deh / Veh Vi Is / Where We Are - Teaching and Researching Academic Writing in the Caribbean

Oct 15, 2026

Explores how academic writing is taught and researched in the Anglophone Caribbean, linking course naming and instructional approaches to colonial language history, British vs. American educational influences, and limited locally grounded writing instruction. Traces a brief history using the University of the West Indies, from early “Use of English” language appreciation to later shifts toward accuracy in traditional grammar, then academic literacies and discipline-specific courses. Highlights current variations in course labels and aims across regional institutions.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages5

Reading Time13 min

AccessFree to download

Where We Are: Teaching and Researching Academic Writing in the Caribbean

Where We Were: A Brief History of Academic Writing Instruction in the Caribbean

Where We Are Now

Weh Wi Deh / Veh Vi Is / Where We Are: Teaching and Researching Academic Writing in the Caribbean Vivette Milson-Whyte, Raymond Oenbring, and Brianne Jaquette We chcomopsleexthislinsgoumistwhc sttuuantiwoienldoyf triple-barrelled title as it reflects the the Anglophone Caribbean, where multiple English-lexifier Creoles (such as Jamaican Creole [Weh Wi Deh] and Bahamian Creole [Veh Vi Is])—all of which developed in the colonial era out of the contact between English and myriad African languages spoken by contemporary Caribbean people’s enslaved ancestors—coexist and contend with international Standard English (Where We Are) . Further adding to this complex linguistic situation, the teaching of academic writing in the Caribbean reflects the region’s history of competition between British (through direct colonial rule) and American (through the neo-colonial influence of American media) language variants and educational culture. Indeed, due to the competing influences of British and American educational discourses and due to the lack of substantial “homegrown” discourseson writing instruction, academic writing courses are known at Anglophone Caribbean postsecondary institutions by various names, including: academic writing, use of English, communication, English composition, writing and rhetoric, freshman composition, English for academic purposes, critical reading and writing, and, finally, academic literacy/ies. Regardless of the name of the class or the approach taken, the development of academic writing instruction in the Caribbean region in the last few decades may be understood as a function of: (a) colonial history; (b) changing cohorts of students; and (c) exposure to developments in writing studies elsewhere (see, for example, Milson-Whyte, Academic Writing Instruction, and Oenbring and Milson-Whyte) . Where We Were: A Brief History of Academic Writing Instruction in the Caribbean For our brief history, we use the example of The University of the West Indies (The UWI), the premier higher education institution in the English-speaking Caribbean. The first postsecondary academic writing course taught in the region was a survey course developed in the early 1960s with a focus on the Use of English (the actual name of the class) at the then University College of the West Indies (UCWI), which was, at the time, still an affiliate of the University of London. Modelling the course on classes then taught in England, UCWI administrators introduced the Use of English in the early years of independence of various Caribbean territories from British colonial rule in Composition Studies 49.3 (2021): 160–164 the 1960s. The focus in this course was having the largely homogenous group of high-achieving local students from upper-middle to high income groups consider general “uses of English.” That is to say, this course in its original form was more of a language appreciation course than a composition course in the contemporary American sense. By the 1970s and 80s, when the student population at The UWI started to become more diverse, there was a gradual shift to considering using language (English) appropriate for university study in general. By the late 1980s and early 1990s, with increasing democratization of education and enrollment of students from lower socio-economic backgrounds whose first language was an English-lexified Creole, UWI faculty and administrators developed parallel strands. Classes for one set of students focused on having them write appropriately in English for university study while the focus in instruction for the other set was on assisting them to write accurately—that is, write using correct English grammar, understood in a very traditional sense. There was still no consideration of including the students’ creole languages in teaching. Later, in the 1990s and beyond, the focus of UWI faculty shifted to encouraging students to develop university literacies through a course called English for Ac

FAQs

What historical forces shape academic writing teaching in the Caribbean?

The text connects teaching approaches to colonial history and the competition between British and American language variants and educational cultures. It also notes a lack of substantial homegrown discourses on writing instruction, affecting how courses are framed.

How did academic writing instruction at the University of the West Indies change over time?

It began with an early-1960s “Use of English” course focused more on language appreciation than composition. Later decades shifted toward writing appropriate for university study, then toward accuracy-focused traditional grammar, and later toward modes-based academic purposes and discipline-linked literacies.

How do course labels and approaches differ across institutions today?

Some institutions keep general labels like “academic writing,” while others adopt US-influenced titles such as “Writing and Rhetoric.” The text also describes a regional move toward labels like “academic literacies” or “academic literacy,” reflecting interests from the UK.

Oct 15, 2026

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