This article explores the effects of ethnic stereotypes,
demographic shifts, and nationalism on language choice
in the town of Dangriga, Belize. Dangriga was founded during
the nineteenth century by members of an ethnic minority
of West African and Native American heritage, known as
the Garinagu or Garifuna. Today, it is a multilingual and
multiethnic town populated primarily by Garinagu, Belizean
Creoles, and both native-born and foreign-born Spanish
speakers. In this context, language choice is in part a
question of affiliation with a variety of ethnic and national
identities. This article examines the manner in which ethnic
and national stereotypes and images, as well as current
demographic shifts in the Belizean population, affect language
choice in multilingual contexts. Particular attention is
paid to the position of young Garinagu vis-à-vis
the Garifuna language and Belizean English Creole.