ABSTRACT
Reactions towards Creole can be paradoxical. When researchers with the Concept 7-9 project informally canvassed attitudes towards the language of West Indian children, it emerged that, on the one hand, teachers thought that they were non-verbal and inarticulate and that, on the other hand, they talked too much. In order to resolve such a paradox we need to understand the prejudices and stereotypes associated with both Creole and non-standard speech in general. It is only then that we can examine objectively the kind of verbal skills commonly found in West Indian children.
