ABSTRACT
In this chapter, I address the use of vernaculars in West Indian literature, a topic of interest in Rickford’s work. I discuss the sociohistorical contexts that gave rise to vernacular varieties and present excerpts from West Indian writers to illustrate the ways in which writers use these varieties to present authentic context, situation, character, and the cultures of the people of the Caribbean. I argue that vernaculars in literature has brought them to international prominence, promoted their wider acceptance and paved a way for their use in a broader range of functions in communities in which they are spoken.
