Haitian Creole
Define:
The Haitian Creole language is spoken by the people of Haiti. Haitians are the largest Creole-speaking community in the world (CITE). By definition, a creole is a language that is evolved from the combination of two or more languages. Creoles allow for communication between speakers of different native languages. Its focus is to create similarities between words of each language and, in turn, create a hybrid language both speakers can comprehend. Haitian Creole is the only hybrid language that has been adopted by a country, and utilized as a formal language. Though the resemblance to its parent languages can still be plainly seen, Haitian Creole has developed into a full language, with a distinctive vocabulary and a…show more content… Although many people who speak Haitian Creole as their native language, they also speak French (the country’s other official language). French is also the language taught in school and in the administrative sector of the government. Despite the dominance of French, there has been some progression of Creole use in the Haitian media. Currently numerous newspapers, radio, and television programs are being produced in Haitian Creole. The language also finds its place in religion. Some Catholic services are conducted in Creole, but the majority of religious services are still conducted in French. However, Voodoo ceremonies are always conducted in the Creole language. The acceptance of Creole has been a very slow process. According to the 1979 Constitution of Haiti, French was considered the “language of instruction” and Creole was simple a language that acted as a “tool for education.” (CITE) On a positive note, by using the Creole language as a “tool” in the world of education supports the theory that children learn best in their native language. Until 1987, Creole was looked down upon by the government. The revised 1987 Constitution of Haiti states that Creole is the “sole language that unites all Haitians.” (CITE) Today, Creole is considered the first language of over 90% of Haitian people. Although French is first official language, it is spoken fluently by less than 20% of the Haitian population (CITE). Creole, however, is spoken by roughly 10-12 million people world-wide. There are approximately 9.5 million Creole speakers in Haiti, 3.5 million throughout Canada, the United States (200,000 just in New York), France, Cuba, and other Caribbean islands (CITE). Some believe that a Creole is not a “real” language. These types of negative views of the Creole language continue to further perpetuate the political and social division between the elite and the impoverish of