Dagmar Deuber is Professor in the Department of English at Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, Germany, where she holds the Chair of Variation Linguistics. She has also taught and conducted research at the University of the West Indies in St Augustine, Trinidad.

'Corpus linguistics meets sociolinguistics meets creole studies: this thorough study offers fresh perspectives on the intricacies and interdependencies of standards, styles, variability and the creole continuum in Jamaica and Trinidad.' Edgar W. Schneider, University of Regensburg

• 1. Introduction; 2. The background and context of English in Jamaica and Trinidad; 3. The sociolinguistics of style and the Creole continuum; 4. Data and methodology; 5. Style in Jamaican English: analysis of conversations; 6. Style and standard in Trinidadian English: analysis of four text categories; 7. The modal verbs can/could and will/would in Caribbean and other varieties of English; 8. Conclusion.

Dagmar Deuber is Professor in the Department of English at Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, Germany, where she holds the Chair of Variation Linguistics. She has also taught and conducted research at the University of the West Indies in St Augustine, Trinidad.

'Corpus linguistics meets sociolinguistics meets creole studies: this thorough study offers fresh perspectives on the intricacies and interdependencies of standards, styles, variability and the creole continuum in Jamaica and Trinidad.' Edgar W. Schneider, University of Regensburg

• 1. Introduction; 2. The background and context of English in Jamaica and Trinidad; 3. The sociolinguistics of style and the Creole continuum; 4. Data and methodology; 5. Style in Jamaican English: analysis of conversations; 6. Style and standard in Trinidadian English: analysis of four text categories; 7. The modal verbs can/could and will/would in Caribbean and other varieties of English; 8. Conclusion.

Dagmar Deuber is Professor in the Department of English at Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, Germany, where she holds the Chair of Variation Linguistics. She has also taught and conducted research at the University of the West Indies in St Augustine, Trinidad.

'Corpus linguistics meets sociolinguistics meets creole studies: this thorough study offers fresh perspectives on the intricacies and interdependencies of standards, styles, variability and the creole continuum in Jamaica and Trinidad.' Edgar W. Schneider, University of Regensburg

• 1. Introduction; 2. The background and context of English in Jamaica and Trinidad; 3. The sociolinguistics of style and the Creole continuum; 4. Data and methodology; 5. Style in Jamaican English: analysis of conversations; 6. Style and standard in Trinidadian English: analysis of four text categories; 7. The modal verbs can/could and will/would in Caribbean and other varieties of English; 8. Conclusion.