Language in Haiti

1982 Words4 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Aspects of creole society caribbean

Language in Haiti

Language is a major issue in Haiti. Our language is both one of our

greatest belongings and one of our greatest baggages. On one hand, it

represents the mainstay of our culture, the unique pathway to our true

nature; on the other, it sometimes restricts and casts us out by putting us

in a box and preventing us from accessing two prime universal bases of

knowledge and culture: French and English. Our people, in Haiti and

throughout the world, sometimes need to use Creole, French, and English

at different times, in different places, to respond to different needs. Creole

as mainstay and restriction is Haiti’s current and, most likely, our future

reality, and I believe that Creole should be valued and fully integrated in

the educational system in Haiti.

The two official languages of Haiti are French and Creole. All Haitians

speak Creole, while only a very small part of the population can be considered

bilingual in French and Creole. Traditionally, the two languages

served different functions, with Creole being the informal everyday language

of all the people, regardless of the social class, and French considered

as the language of formality used in situations such as newspapers, schools,

the law and the courts, and official documents and decrees. Nevertheless,

because the great majority of Haitians only speak Creole, many efforts have

been made in recent years to expand its usage.

A language is conventionally composed of arbitrary signals such as voice

sounds, gestures, and written symbols; such a system uses its own rules for

combining its components, which makes every language unique. Haitian

Creole highly relies on proverbs, metaphors, and sublime imagery. Here are

a few of these pro...

... middle of paper ...

...ole, and I wish to take part in it.

Works Cited

Baldwin, James. “If Black English Isn’t a Language, Then Tell Me, What Is?” The

Composition of Our “Selves.” 2nd ed. Dubuque, Iowa: Kendall/Hunt. 2000. 123–6.

Curtis, Marcia. Preface. The Composition of Our “Selves.” 2nd ed. Dubuque, Iowa:

Kendall/Hunt, 2000. 103–9.

Jordan, June. “Nobody Mean More to Me Than You.” The Composition of Our “Selves.”

2nd ed. Dubuque, Iowa: Kendall/Hunt. 2000. 157–163.

Katz, Stacey. “Near-Native Speakers in the Foreign-Language Classroom: The Case of

Haitian Immigrant Students”. The Sociolinguistics of Foreign-Language Classrooms.

EBSCO. 2003. 08 Nov. 2005 http://search.epnet.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=

eric&an=ED481793.

White, Michael and David Epston. “Story, Knowledge, and Power”. The Composition of

Our “Selves.” 2nd ed. Dubuque, Iowa: Kendall/Hunt, 2000. 64–77.

Show More
Related

  • Haiti Case Study

    1510 Words  | 4 Pages

    The media in the United Sates is accustomed to portraying Haiti as a failed state without referring to the external influences of other countries on Haiti’s problems including the 1915 to 1934 occupation of Haiti by the United States. Haiti has suffered at the hands of numerous dictators who have robbed the country of its resources, but little is said of the U.S support of some of the dictatorial regimes that have ruled over Haiti and plundered its resources (Maus, 2015). The natural disasters that have wrought havoc in Haiti in the form of hurricanes and floods are solely blamed on Haitians who have decided to destroy their land using destructive agricultural methods. Little is said of the destruction of Haiti’s natural landscape

    Read More

  • Taking a Look at the Garifuna Language

    826 Words  | 2 Pages

    ...e, Geneviève, and Armin Schwegler. Creoles, Contact, and Language Change: Linguistics and Social Implications. Amsterdam: John Benjamins Pub., 2004. Print.

    Read More

  • negritude

    913 Words  | 2 Pages

    ...spoke a Spanish Creole. This made a clear distinction between the two and made it easy for the government to identify the difference. The reader sees how such themes of Birth and Death show so prominently throughout the characters that one must focus on how birth and deaths affect the concept of the individual relating to their own Negritude. It is culture, not skin tones but rather the beliefs and values that each country be it Haiti or Dominican Republic relate to. Danticat’s novel helps us understand the strengths and limits that Rene Depestre states in The Birth of Caribbean Civilisation “there is a progressive ‘negritude’ that expounds the need to rise above all the alienations of man . . . and there is “an irrational reactionary and mystic version of ‘negritude’ which serves . . . as a cultural base for neo-colonialist penetration into our countries” (244).

    Read More

  • Colonialism In The Haitian Revolution

    1628 Words  | 4 Pages

    French occupation of Haiti began in the mid seventeenth century. For the next century and a half, the people of Haiti were forced to abandon their livelihoods and instead take up residence on namely sugar, indigo or cacao plantations in order to generate exports for the French market. Conditions on these plantations were often so cruel and oppressive that the common cause of death was exhaustion. No longer able to yield to the terms of their exploitation, Haitians participated in a string of slave revolts, the most prominent of which was led by Toussaint Louverture from 1791, which paved the road for Haitian emancipation. This essay will advance the idea that colonialism has impeded the political stability of Haiti during the nineteenth century, particularly from when Haiti formally declared independence in 1804. It will cover how issues such as; despotism, conflicting economic institutions, the militarization of the political system and racial supremacy, have negatively affected nineteenth century Haitian politics. Moreover, it will also elaborate on how these issues are, in effect, actually insidious derivatives of French rule during pre-independent Haiti.

    Read More

  • Voodooism in Haiti

    2416 Words  | 5 Pages

    Voodooism is a fascinating way of life. Ever since living in Haiti in the early 1980's, the constant thumping of drums in the twilight has intrigued me. Their melody and rhythm seemed to consume the moist evening air like a pungent odor that will not dissipate. Life is very different in Haiti than it is in the United States, and however odd it seems to Western mentality, I could feel the presence of spirits in and around almost every aspect of life in Haiti.

    Read More

  • Haiti's Contribution To The Colonial History Of Haiti Today

    1122 Words  | 3 Pages

    Corruption and abuse have been cancerous hallmarks of Haiti’s political system and leaders. Until recently, power switched hands quickly and brutally as dictators faced assassinations, coups, and international interference. The instability of political roulette has made it difficult to accomplish or establish any social, economic, or environmental plans or policies. Racism is a rampant residual from the colonial era. Wealth and power are controlled by the mulatto elite and little concern or regard is shown for the poor. Few social programs have been created to assist the poor as resources are diverted away from communities and into the hungry pockets of the corrupt. Differences in languages and religions also echo the past. The ruling class speaks French and is predominately Roman Catholic while the majority of Haitians speak the slave language of Creole and practice the voudon (voodoo) religion. The focus of power resides in the capital city of Port-au-Prince. Rural communities are ignored and struggle to survive by farming. During the colonial era, much of Haiti’s land was deforested to accommodate sprawling plantations. Wood is also used in the building of homes and as a primary fuel. The removal of trees caused severe erosion and the loss of the nutrient topsoil which washed into the ocean, impacting marine life and fishing. Farmers have moved to Port-au-Prince to seek employment. The desperate

    Read More

  • The singularly strange story of the English language in Puerto

    1339 Words  | 3 Pages

    Language is a mean of communication in any given society. It represents the ability to evolve and progress through the ongoing process of living with other human beings. Many can perceive this instrument as tool of liberation and transformation but others as an instrument to enslave, manipulate or oppress a group of people. Whichever the case one need to acknowledge that it is necessary and not a waste of time the many different discussions about this ongoing topic regardless of the time period or social context any country might have. In Puerto Rico, there has been an ongoing dilemma about languages; Dr. Alicia Pousada examines on her essay what many might define “the language madness on the island”. Throughout this paper some of her most interesting ideas will be shared and discussed so that this already extended topic might find another page to take place.

    Read More

  • The Importance Of Voodoo In Haiti

    1271 Words  | 3 Pages

    Edwidge Danticat’s short story, “A Wall of Fire Rising” is about a woman whose family lives in Haiti and follows some Voodoo principles. An article by A to Z World Culture lists some of the denominations commonly found in Haiti, “Roman Catholics comprise 55 percent of the population, Baptists 8 percent, Pentecostals 3 percent, Adventists 2 percent, and Methodists a little over 1 percent” (Religion). Voodoo is the most practiced religion in haiti, with Christianity at a close second. While some people think of voodoo as just dolls, spirits, and witches, the Columbian Encyclopedia defines it this way, “Voodoo contends that all of nature is controlled

    Read More

  • Exploring Haitian Voodoo: A Popular Culture Perspective

    711 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Haitian Voodoo: is a Haitian popular culture, it is a unique mixture of indigenous Taïno beliefs, Christianity and African religious beliefs. According to the Voodoo, it is a group of spirits known as

    Read More

  • The Educational System Of Haiti And The United States

    1149 Words  | 3 Pages

    The difference between the structure of the educational system in Haiti and the United States are the following ones: Schools in Haiti are divided in four levels: Primary, Secondary, Vocational and Technical, and University. On the other hand, United States’ structure has the following levels; Kindergarten, Elementary school, Middle school, High school, College and University. Schools in Haiti have a different educational system than the United States. Students remain in the same classroom for the whole day. In contrast, in the United States students go to different classrooms during the day. In Haiti there are a few things that are quite different; in Haiti during break time schools do not pr...

    Read More

  • The Making of Haiti

    3346 Words  | 7 Pages

    The Haitian Revolution makes for the most fascinating revolt in history. The black race, after many years of oppression, overcame the dominant white race, without the assistance of guns, and other technological warfare at that time. In its own words, the author states that the book makes clear that the roots of the revolution of Haiti consist of movements involving the "wisdom and common sense of the masses". Hordes of blacks reached a consensus that human sacrifice is a small price to pay for freedom. In the view of Carolyn E. Fick, no organization or political entity involved can be attributed as much credit than the masses for the popular revolution that unseated one of the longest dictatorships of mankind.

    Read More

  • Haitians in America

    1893 Words  | 4 Pages

    Haiti is located in the Caribbean with Cuba to the northwest, Jamaica to the southwest, and Puerto Rico to the east. Ninety five percent of Haitian people are of African descent (Holcomb, Parsons, Giger, & Davidhizar, 1996). The language spoken by the vast majority of Haitians is Creole. The pronunciation and vocabulary are derived largely from French but the syntax is similar to that of other creoles (Brown, 2010). Haiti is one of the most densely populated countries in the world. In 2010 the population was approximately 9.6 million and is expected to increase to 13.4 million in 2050 (Edwards, 2010). It is also projected that some Haitians may try to flee fro...

    Read More

  • Haiti: A Troubled People

    1225 Words  | 3 Pages

    Most of the Haitian people are of African descent, there is a smaller mulatto percentage, and so of European and African descent. Creole is the main language spoken, and ten percent speak French. Sadly only 23 percent of the people can read. Although voodoo is practiced by most people, strangely 80 percent is catholic and 10 percent is protestant.

    Read More

  • Haiti And Haitian Creole

    1198 Words  | 3 Pages

    The purpose of this essay is to explore the sociolinguistic factors and issues that have had impact on the status, function and use of Haitian Creole.

    Read More

  • Louisiana French Language Analysis

    1227 Words  | 3 Pages

    Language shift, or language attrition, was a feature to a Darwinian evolution in which less complex and adaptable languages, like Creole, died and the more advanced and fittest languages, like English, survived (Carlisle, 2010). Modern linguistics challenges that it is not accurate to focus on the attrition of a language based on its structure, without looking at the social factors involved. There is very little to no development of Louisiana Creole and the reason for this is because of the restricted access to the language, through education and/or everyday interactions (Carlisle, 2010). As of today, there is no evidence of children growing up that speak Louisiana Creole French as their first language. It’s unlikely to find a fluent speaker below the age of 60. The 60-year-old-and-over generation learned the language when they were young, but after having to renounce the language in school, they only taught their children English. They came to appreciate the cultural impact of their abandonment of Louisiana Creole French in the 1960s. They then began to speak the language to their grandchildren (Audisio and Burke, 1988). For those few speakers below the age of 60, “they would be called ‘near-passive bilinguals.’ They may know many words and expressions but cannot construct or manipulate full sentences” (Brown, 1993). Current speakers speak English as well as or even better than

    Read More

More about Language in Haiti

Open Document