Topic: Creole, Not French, Is Haiti's Official Language (
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by Morg on 1/30
I think you are confusing "official language" with "national language." French is indeed an official language of Haiti - that is, it has official recognition in the country's constitution and is used for governmental purposes.
That only 10% of the population speaks it does not matter.
The Haitian constitution recognizes French (along with Creole), so it has official status.
A "national language," on the other hand, is the language of the majority, regardless of whether it is official.
For example, English is the national language of the United States.
(Technically it isn't official - the U.S. Constitution says nothing about languages.)
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by Mickelle Hall on 5/14
I have a concern.
I live in the Bahamas and in the school where I teach our Haitian population is about 70% - Bahamians are outnumbered.
Most of the students are born here or come here at a very early age so they know English but yet they only want to speak creole in the classrooms.
We ask them not to an it is a big problem even though they CAN speak English.
What can we do as teachers to help them to understand that creole is a dialect and really should not be spoken in the class room? Because as Bahamians we are not even allowed to speak Bahamian dialect in class.
What is done in Haiti when they don't follow the rules?
Please help.
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by dee, replying to Mickelle Hall on 14-May-09 04:56 PM
Umm Creole and French are both official languages of Haiti that is why the passport is in both Frenc...
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by Esporonza on 6/10
Could you please send me the newsletter.I would like to start receiveing it as soon as possible.
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by Andryse on 4/13
I think that it is really important to integrate Creole in the haitian system of education.
The child speak Creole at homme, with his friends, evreywhere Only his books are in french
I think that the child would learn better and more quickly if teaching were made in their mother tongue.
I don't want to say we have to exclude French from teaching, but it could be taught like a secondary tongue, like english eand spanish
It'my opinion
.
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by marie Francois, replying to Andryse on 28-Apr-07 02:46 PM
I understand the idea that Haiti is creole speaking people; and I'm one .But, let's me remind y...
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by Masterches on 4/5
http://kreyol.masterches.net/
Bonjou,
mwen etidyan Strasbou, frans e mwen kreye yon diksyonè kreyòl ayisyen "Online" : http://kreyol.masterches.net/
Li pwopoze :
#Yon diksyonè : definisyon ak sinonim, istwa, tradisyon, etimoloji, pwovèb, ak tradiksyon nan lot kreyol ak nan lot lang yo
#Yon gramè : yon paj wiki ; gramè ak lengwistik
M'ap fè yon konpil de tout enfomasyon m'ap twouve e sa nou ap ban mwen.
Ki jan pou nou patisipe :
1.ay anlè http://kreyol.masterches.net/
2. Si ou vle mete yon definisyon, yon ekspresyon, yon pwovèb, yon moman istwa, yon moun enpotan nan istwa peyi a : gade si mo ou fraz la ja la, nan ka sa a wap mete yon komantè sinon wap klike anlè "proposer une definition" oubyen "add a definition"; nou pe mete imaj, map mete-l nan baz de done mwen ni
3. Si ou vle korije yon definisyon : mete koreksyon ou tap fè nan komantè wap twouve anba mo ou vle modifye an.
4. Ou pe pwopoze definisyon nan lang kreyol karayib (mete nan definisyon an ki orijin kreyol li ye, kreyol gwadloup, matinik, giyan, reyinyon...
etc )
5. M'ap valide definisyon an e m'ap mete li an paj si nesesè.
6.Nan pati "gramè kreyol ayisyen" : si ou vle patisipe nan kreasyon'l, klike anlè "Compte" anlè a goch nan meni-a e enskri w ; apre wap retounen nan gramè-a e ou pe edite li. Kote administrasyon an, mwen tini yon sovgad de paj-la avan'l te modifye.
Mwen se yon Ayisyen de la dyaspora e mwen ta renmen tini yon imaj korèk anlè lentènet. Se pou sa mwen ta renmen nou korije e nou kontribiye nan elaborasyon diksyonè sa a, ansiklopedi sa-a.
M'ap chache tout enfomasyon ki ofisyel ou ki veritab nan listwa d'ayiti (nou pa bizwen yon kreolizasyon kreyol ayisyen si nou genyen yon ekivalan nan lang pa nou )
Mèsi pou tout kontribisyon nou.
Korije'm si mwen fè fot.
Mèsi anpil.
Diksyonè-a kapab ay lwen lwen.
MasterChes
PS : pour les non creolophones, il s'agit d'un projet de dictionnaire creole-creole haitien avec un essai grammatical et linguistique.
Toute participation, commentaire et idées sont les bienvenues sur http://kreyol.masterches.net/
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by Zeeqtee on 1/23
I AM NOT A HAITIAN BUT I AM BLACK...
AFRICAN AMERICAN.I THINK ITS GREAT HAITIANS HAVE THIS WONDERFUL LANGUAGE.IT IS SOMETHING TO BE PROUD OF. I JUST WISH THAT HAITIAN PEOPLE WOULD NOT ONLY SEE THEMSELVES AS HAITIANS BUT AFRICANS.AND,I DO AGREE THAT HAITIANS SHOULD MAKE OTHERS RESPECT THIER LANGUAGE BY TEACHING IT IN SCHOOL AND PROMOTING POSITIVE MESSAGES ABOUT CREOLE...
CHANGE THE NEGATIVE CONATAIONS.
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by Jude Petremont on 1/12
hi! i'm a french guianese and find this subject highly interesting.
i note that french black speakers in french west indies and french guiana generaly have bad ideas of haïtians because of the fact they generaly don't speak or understand French.
A "well french speaker" will catch the attention and will be considered as an intellectual while a creole speaker will be use here in guadeloupe(for example)as a modern slave by a black west indian.
even in my country, you could notice that we still keep on "casting"the people regarding there language forgetting the beauty of our heritage.
i don't see why a language can provide people from getting instruction and be real challengers in the world.
if i had to work in haiti make sure that i would have to learn your creole quite different from mine well according to me, the most important is educating the wide people thirst in creole and latter they'll choose what other languagethey wat to study.
it is not the language which shows how silly can be somebody but the way he use is mind...
May haïti be proud of it language and fight to give it its value.
jude
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by Rousseau Jude Claudel on 11/1
I am a US Army Service Member, because I am Haitian and I speak KREOL fluently, I recieve an extra $ 150. a month.All Haitian American should be able to speak it, write it and understand it. Let's teach our children this beautiful language, let's be proud of it, because some Haitians as soon as they can speak 30% of any other languages, refuse to speak KREOL.
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by Nick on 7/5
I think Creole as a language has it rights in terms of being spoken by all Haitians.
If Haiti is going to get serious about durable development, one of the first thing the government should do is encourage the use of Creole in the classroom.
Teachers and educators will need tools available in Creole to do the best job. Imagine if the Japenese were to learn math and science in English? Imagine if the Argentinians, Germans, Americans, Chinese, French Bresilians and other citizens from a developed or developing country were to learn math and science and the arts in Japanese? I bet you that progress would be really slow in all those lands.
One thinks, reasons, and acts best in her or his own language! So I am an advocate of Creole in the classroom.
Of course, French should be taught as well, but in the same manner students learn a foreign language, be it English, Chinese, or Spanish.
Thanks for reading this comment.
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by jim, replying to Nick on 04-Nov-06 11:55 PM
I left haiti when i was 14 years old, during that whole 14 years i was going to school i was thaught...
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by jocelyne, replying to jim on 05-Aug-07 03:01 PM
I fully agree with Jim's point of view. We are the product of a bilingual culture and it should rem...
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by ceejay, replying to jim on 19-Dec-06 09:25 PM
I don't believe they should take French out of Haiti, au contraire, we should have both languages sp...
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by de Hinche, replying to ceejay on 09-Feb-07 01:41 AM
I do think this is a very nice idea. Both languages should be taught and spoken.
However, Creole m...
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by chosen One, replying to de Hinche on 20-Mar-07 12:58 AM
Creole is the primary language in Haiti. It is the official language in Haiti. We need to stop acti...
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by gee, replying to de Hinche on 11-Mar-07 06:37 AM
to me kreyol is our language.we just confuse about ouselves most of us speak kreyol we grew up speak...
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by Luc on 6/25
the creole supposes to teach in the national school like all the others countries,make it like a salon language like french english etc.you intellectuels it's also your job today.
The politic's people begin to do it don't stay like spectators.Because if we work to transform it. It's good to use it in the universities,the best job that a foreign people can find if he speaks creole correctly or have a creole certificat.We suppose to be proud of it, make them to respect it.
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by freddy Kruger, replying to Luc on 11-Aug-07 07:58 PM
I see Luc speaks/writes English as well as he/she probably speaks French.
Too bad. If one can't ...
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