Haitian Creole

Haitian Creole, also called Kreyòl, is one of the official languages of Haiti, along with French. Nearly every Haitian is believed to speak it, and for many of them, it is their only language. Several other nations in the Caribbean region also use the language, such as the Dominican Republic, the Cayman Islands, and the Bahamas. It can also be heard in parts of France, Canada, French Guiana, and the United States. It is estimated to have over thirteen million speakers worldwide.

The language developed from the interactions of French colonists and enslaved Africans. After Haiti declared its independence in 1804, Haitian Creole remained in use. In 1987, Haiti legally made Haitian Creole its official language. Since the language's birth, many Haitian and outside elites have perceived it as less advanced than French and other European languages. This led to Haitian government officials, teachers, and other authorities abandoning it in favor of the French. Haitian Creole entered into more formal and prestigious settings by the late twentieth century.

Brief History

Haitian Creole dates back to the Atlantic slave trade in the seventeenth century. Several European countries were colonizing territories in the Americas, and they brought captured Africans across the Atlantic Ocean to be sold as enslaved people. Present-day Haiti was then a colony of France known as Saint-Domingue.

Haitian Creole arose from the efforts of enslaved Africans to speak French without access to formal education or books. Since they had been captured from various regions and tribes and spoke many different languages, the enslaved people used French as a common language to communicate. The version of French spoken by colonists was different from what the French elite spoke. The Africans' version, being self-taught and impacted by their own Native dialects, was itself distinct from the source language. When enslaved people arrived later and began learning the language, it grew further removed from French. Over time, even colonists began adopting Haitian Creole.

In the late eighteenth century, enslaved Haitians began to revolt against the French colonists. After a decade of struggle, the African population drove out the colonists. French forces briefly returned and established an uneasy truce in 1802, but when it became clear to the Haitians that France intended to reestablish slavery, the formerly enslaved mobilized again, becoming independent in 1804. This is the only known slave revolt, which resulted in the territory abolishing slavery and the formerly enslaved individuals taking ownership of the territory. Haitian Creole thrived as the primary language of the island.

In 1956, a military coup took over Haiti, placing François Duvalier in power. Duvalier and his successor, son Jean-Claude Duvalier, ruled Haiti as a dictatorship for thirty years. After a coup returned the government to the civilians, Haiti drafted a new constitution in 1987. The constitution declared both Haitian Creole and French national languages.

While the vocabulary and terms of Haitian Creole derive directly from French, the grammar and structure of the two languages are very different. Its origin as a language used by enslaved individuals led to its dismissal by the nation's upper class as an inferior language, and many outsiders considered it a regional French dialect rather than a language in its own right. This perception led to most positions of power and influence using French, despite the vast majority of the nation preferring Haitian Creole. French prevailed among wealthy urban citizens, the government, and schools.

Haitian Creole was rarely written in a consistent way before the mid-twentieth century. Most attempts to render it in written form were much closer to French in structure. The 1940s saw a writing system that was more faithful to the spoken language, but it was soon replaced by another version more similar to French. It was not until 1975 that a consistent writing system was employed.

Topic Today

Despite Haitian Creole's prevalence and upgraded status after 1987, French continued to be the preferred language of government and education in Haiti. It was not until the early twenty-first century that schools allowed instruction in Haitian Creole. Many continued to use French, despite about 95 percent of the country speaking Haitian Creole exclusively. Children were expected to enter elementary school knowing French, with no system in place to teach them a second language. This practice placed Haiti's most impoverished children at an even further disadvantage. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) initiated a program to provide Haitian schools with more Haitian Creole resources in the early 2010s.

A few Haitian Creole terms developed widespread global use. The term zombie originated in Haiti. In its original form, zombie reflected beliefs and superstitions of enslaved Africans. For overworked enslaved individuals with no relief in sight, the temptation to escape by ending their own lives was strong. However, a belief held that suicide would deny them freedom in the afterlife, and they would forever wander Haiti without a soul.

Voodoo is another Haitian Creole term, referring to spiritual beliefs carried over from Africa. As several different African cultures mixed together in Haiti, so did zombie and voodoo beliefs. According to myth, voodoo practitioners could take control of corpses, creating a new iteration of the zombie. In 2003, Haiti sanctioned voodoo as an official religion.

Both zombies and voodoo became common fixtures of global popular culture, although most of their portrayals bear only a slight resemblance to their Haitian origins. Some of the earliest appearances of zombies in film feature them as products of voodoo, but this type quickly became less common. Modern zombies are typically associated with some sort of disease.

Haitian Creole can be divided into three major dialects: northern, central, and southern. There are similar languages also derived from French found in other former French colonies. These locations include Louisiana, Guadeloupe, and Martinique. Haitian expatriates also continue to use the language.

Many Haitians consider Haitian Creole a part of their identity and history. It is commonly spoken around homes, even by citizens who are also fluent in French. While the language's global presence continues to grow in the twenty-first century, it is still rarely represented on television or in film. Radio has served as a major resource for Haitian Creole speakers for decades. Haitian Creole writings were suppressed for many years, particularly under the Duvalier dictatorships. Starting in the late twentieth century, however, Haitian Creole literature became more common. In the twenty-first century, technology and digital access to language resources have made the language accessible to younger generations, supporting their cultural heritage.

Bibliography

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"Haitian Creole Is a Living Language." Language Magazine, 5 May 2023, www.languagemagazine.com/2023/05/05/haitian-creole-is-a-living-language. Accessed 5 Dec. 2024.

"Haitian Creole." Library of Congress, guides.loc.gov/haiti-reimagined/haitian-creole. Accessed 5 Dec. 2024.

Mariani, Mike. "The Tragic, Forgotten History of Zombies." Atlantic, 28 Oct. 2015, www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2015/10/how-america-erased-the-tragic-history-of-the-zombie/412264. Accessed 5 Dec. 2024.

Stunell, Lauren-Rose. "Discovering Languages: Exploring the History of Haitian Creole." Canadian Association of Second Language Teachers, 6 Feb. 2024, www.caslt.org/en/blog-discovering-languages-haitian-creole. Accessed 5 Dec. 2024.

Thompson, Irene. "Haitian Creole." About World Languages, 21 Jan. 2014, aboutworldlanguages.com/haitian-creole. Accessed 5 Dec. 2024.

"Timeline: Haiti." BBC, 17 Oct. 2012, news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/1202857.stm. Accessed 5 Dec. 2024.