This paper presents aspects of the acquisition of the determiner systems of Jamaican Creole (JC) and Jamaican English (JE) used by Jamaican children from Creole-speaking communities in their first year of basic school. It shows that mixing within the Determiner Phrase of the native language—JC, with the second language—JE, is highly systematic, and suggests ways in which the language and literacy teacher may capitalize on this.

The articles which form part of this special issue of the Caribbean Journal of Education are the proceedings of a Staff Research Day of the Department of Language, Linguistics and Philosophy at the University of the West Indies, Mona Campus, held in the summer of 2015. At this event, members of all three sections of the Department presented the findings of research which they were conducting at the time.