Today, February 21, nations worldwide are observing International Mother Language Day – and in Saint Lucia, a new Kwéyòl–English Online Dictionary is ready for use by Saint Lucians (and everyone else).
The initiative, by young Taiwanese creator Jimmy Chiu — an intern attached to the Taiwan Technical Mission (TTM) in Saint Lucia — is about to be launched nationwide.
It’s been tried and tested and the technical know-how is being shared with locals to ensure its smooth running as a useful communications tool for visitors and locals alike
The new App is the latest in continuing efforts, over decades, by Saint Lucia’s Monsignor Patrick Anthony Folk Research Centre (FRC) and other entities, to elevate the Kwéyòl language to writing and reading status.
Their efforts over time have resulted in the island’s Mother Tongue being taught and certified by universities in France (including neighbouring Martinique) and is also recognized by the University of the West indies (UWI).
The FRC was responsible for the first efforts to develop a Kwéyòl vocabulary.
However, members of its predecessor – the Study and Action Group (SAG) — conducted Kwéyòl literacy classes at various locations on the island, including at Her Majesty’s Prisons (The Royal Gaol) on Bridge Street in Castries.
Among the early teachers of Adult Kwéyòl Literacy classes islandwide were then Fr Patrick Anthony (now Monsignor), school principal Pearlette Louisy (now Governor General Emeritus) and Dr Didacus Jules (now Director General of the OECS), among many others.
The late educator Jones Mondesir published the largest local Kwéyòl Dictionary in the early 1980s and others were added over time.
The language is being kept alive today, but by a dwindling number of Saint Lucians.
The Taiwan App comes at a time when there’s even-greater need for better understanding of the Kwéyòl language in Saint Lucia and how it differs from others elsewhere, including Haiti.
Cultural performances keep the language alive, but over the decades since independence there’s been a noticeable decline in attention paid to speaking and teaching the language.
Prime Minister Philip J. Pierre has made its development a key aim for his administration, from 2021 when he first took office.
Kwéyòl is also going to school here (figuratively), as the Curriculum Development Unit of the Education Ministry continues planning how to start formally teaching students to speak in their national tongue at the island’s infant schools.
Taiwan’s Ambassador to Saint Lucia, Nicole Su, in an exclusive VOICE interview, shed light on the background to how the App came to be.
Ambassador Su recalled that on January 20, 2026, her embassy and the FRC jointly hosted a technical workshop, where Mr Chiu demonstrated how the dictionary works and guided participants on how the system can be maintained.
Currently, the Kwéyòl-English Online Dictionary contains 10,552 words and the ambassador’s hope is that local Kwéyòl language specialists can collaborate to expand, update and correct entries, over time.
She says, “The preservation of culture and language relies only on us.”
Speaking ahead of the island’s 47th Independence, the ambassador explained:
“In Taiwan, we are facing the threat of the disappearance of many of our indigenous languages, so we know how important it is to collaborate to strengthen educational resources, and empower local communities to keep their language alive.”
According to Ambassador Su, “Many of our local indigenous languages have unfortunately died because of deliberate supression during the colonial time, as well as certain autocratic government policies.”
As such, she said, “Extra efforts have been made to preserve those which still have a chance.”
The ambassador feels: “Language is the expression of culture and once the language dies, the culture would eventually disappear.”
“That was a harsh lesson we had in Taiwan.,” she added.
According to the diplomat, “In Taiwan, many of our local indigenous languages have unfortunately died because of deliberate supression during the colonial time, as well as certain autocratic government policies.
“So, extra efforts have been made to preserve those which still have a chance.”
She continued, “Although here in Saint Lucia you’re not facing such challenges, it is still worth an effort to use modern technology to preserve it.”
“We must face the past, good or bad,” she advised, “so that we can move on (I mean, in terms of Taiwan’s sad history…)
According to the Ambassador, “Taiwan is a multi-culture country. The Dutch, Spanish, British, Chinese and Japanese were in Taiwan for a period of time.
“However, our indigenous people belong to the ‘Austronesian’ people, who’ve long been in Taiwan, for thousands of years.”
“Many of the tribes unfortunately have vanished,” she said, but there are at least 16 different tribes currently officially recognized.
Ambassador Su revealed that “Extra efforts, including the school curriculum, are being introduced in Taiwan schools, so that younger generations could still learn properly their Mother Tongue – “similar to the efforts here, which is why it triggered me to have that Kwéyòl dictionary digitalized.”
The dictionary is web-based, so it can be used on a computer, or cell phone.
According to Ambassador Su, “The technical aspects are using lowest burden on memory, so that people with different types of cell phones can also access it.”
She also noted that “Although here in Saint Lucia you’re not facing such challenges, it is still worth an effort to use modern technology to preserve it.”
Encouraging knowledge of history, she said: “We must face the past, good or bad, so that we can move on (I mean, in terms of Taiwan’s sad history…)”
It’s the Ambassador’s hope that it can be expected that the app crated by the Taiwan innovator will be put to work fully and freely for Saint Lucia.
Meanwhile, an official handover ceremony for the new online dictionary, in Saint Lucia’s Mother Language, is expected in the near future, so that the project can be formally celebrated and recognized by all local stakeholders.
The App will also be a useful tool for overall Kwéyòl education, culture and tourism.