Beyond "Sea, Sun, and Fun": Exploring the Viability of Jamaican Creole Heritage Language Education in Toronto.

This article examines the attitudes of individuals of Jamaican heritage in Toronto toward Jamaican Creole (JamC) heritage language education (HLE) and its implications for program design. Using surveys and semi-structured interviews with 43 heritage speakers, the study found that while JamC is valued culturally and socially, formal classroom-based JamC HLE is largely viewed as unnecessary or unhelpful, with greater emphasis placed on familial and community-based language transmission. Participants expressed mixed views on the teachability of JamC, often citing the lack of standardized orthography and the difficulty of teaching the language's "flavour" or accent. Notably, there was openness to formal JamC instruction for non-heritage learners interested in Jamaican culture, highlighting the language's growing social currency in Toronto. The findings suggest that heritage language programming for JamC should integrate cultural learning and support symbolic and hybrid language use, reflecting the complex identities and motivations of diaspora speakers.