| Haitian Creole Language |
Index for Haitian |
Shopping Haitian |
Website Links For Haitian Creole |
Information AboutHaitian Creole Language |
|
|name=Haitian Creole |nativename=Kreyòl ayisyen |states= Haiti , Bahamas , Canada , Cayman Islands , Dominican Republic , French Guiana , Guadeloupe , Turks And Caicos Islands , United States |speakers=7.8 million |rank=94 |familycolor=Creole |fam1= French Creole |nation= Haiti |iso1=ht|iso2=hat|iso3=hat}} Haitian Creole ('''''kreyòl ayisyen''''') is a Creole Language based on the French Language . It is spoken in Haiti by about 7.5 million people ( As Of 1998 ), which is nearly the whole population. Via Immigration , several hundred thousand speakers live in other countries, including Canada , the United States and France , as well as many Caribbean nations, especially the Dominican Republic , Cuba , and the Bahamas . There are linguistic influences from several '' and '' Plateau ''. Haitian Creole is not to be confused with Haitian Vodoun Culture Language . In part because of the efforts of Felix Morisseau-Leroy , since 1961 Haitian Creole has been recognized as an official language along with French, which had been the sole literary language of the country since its independence in 1804, and became ''the'' official language in 1991. Its usage in literature is small but growing, with Morisseau being one of the first and most prolific examples. Many speakers are bilingual and speak both Haitian Creole and French . Many educators, writers and activists have emphasized pride and written literacy in Creole since the 1980s. There are newspapers, radio and television programs in this language. Usage Outside of Haiti Haitian Creole is used widely among Haitians who have relocated to other countries, particularly the United States. Some of the larger population centers include parts of New York City , Boston and South Florida ( Miami , Fort Lauderdale , and Palm Beach ). Various public service announcements, school-parent communications, and other materials are produced in this language by government agencies. Miami-Dade County in Florida sends out paper communications in Haitian Creole in addition to English and Spanish . Announcements are posted in the Boston Subway System in this language. Sounds and spellings Haitian Creole spelling is mostly phonetic, and in fact quite close to the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA). The main differences are ''j'' = ''y'' = [j , ''è'' = ''ou'' = [u . Lexicon Most of the lexicon is derived from French, with simplified pronuciation. Often, the French Definite Article was retained as part of the noun. Sample
Nouns derived from trade marks Many Trade Mark s have become common nouns in Haitian Creole (as happened in English with "aspirin" and "biro", for example).
The word ''neg'' The term ''neg'' strictly means a dark-skinned man, as in ''gen yon neg e gen yon blan'' ("there is a black man and a white man"). However, it is also generally used for any man, regardless of skin color (i.e. like "guy" in American English). Etymologically, the word derives from Spanish ''negro'' ("black", both the Color and the People ), and is therefore Cognate of English "negro". In Haitian Creole, however, ''neg'' does not have pejorative connotations. There are many other Haitian Creole terms for specific tones of skin, such as ''grimou, brin, woz, mawon,'' etc. However, such labels are considered offensive by some Haitians, because of their association with racial discrimination and the Haitian class system. Grammar Haitian Creole grammar differs greatly from French and is much simpler; for example, verbs are not inflected for tense or person, and there is no Grammatical Gender — meaning that adjectives and articles are not inflected according to the noun. The same primary word order (SVO) is the same as French, but the variations on the verbs and adjectives are miniscule compared to the complex rules employed by French. Many grammatical features, particularly pluralization of nouns and indication of possession, are indicated by appending certain suffixes ( Postposition s) like ''yo'' to the main word. There has been a debate going on for some years as what should be used to connect the suffixes to the word: the most popular alternatives are a dash, an apostrophe, or a space. It makes matters more complicated when the "suffix" itself is shortened, perhaps making only one letter (such as ''m'' or ''w''). Pronouns There are six pronouns, one pronoun for each person/number combination. There is no difference between direct and indirect. Some are obviously of French origin, others are not.
Plural of nouns Nouns are pluralized by adding ''yo'' at the end. liv yo machin yo Possession Possession is indicated by placing the possessor after the item possessed. This is similar to the French construction of ''chez moi'' or ''chez lui'' which are "my home" and "his home" respectively. lajan li fanmi mwen kay yo papa ou chat Pierre chez Marie zanmi papa Jean papa vwazin zanmi nou Indefinite article The language has an indefinite article ''yon'', roughly corresponding to English "a"/"an" and French ''un''/''une''. It is placed before the noun: yon kouto yon kravat Definite article There is also a definite article, roughly corresponding to English "the" and French ''le''/''la''. It is placed after the noun, and the sound varies by the last sound of the noun itself. If the last sound is a non-nasal consanant, it becomes ''la'': kravat la If the last sound is a vowel, it becomes an ''a'': kouto a mango a If the last sound is a nasal (usually an "n" sound) it becomes ''nan'': machin nan telefon nan "This" and "that" There is a single word ''sa'' that corresponds to French ''ce''/''ceci'' or ''ça'', and English "this" and "that". As in English, it may be used as a demonstrative, except that it is placed after the noun it qualifies: jardin sa bel As in English, it may also be used as a pronoun, replacing a noun: sa se zanmi mwen sa se chyen frè mwen Verbs Many, many verbs in Haitian Creole are the same spoken words as the French infinitive, but they are spelled phonetically. As indicated above there is no conjugation in the language. Li ale travay le maten Li dòmi le swa Li li Bib la Mwen fe manje Nou toujou etidye Copulas The concept expressed in English by the verb "to be" is expressed in Haitian Creole by two words, ''se'' and ''ye''. The verb ''se'' (pronounced as the English word "say") has roughly the same meaning as "to be" (and its inflections "am", "are", "is") in English. It is used like any verb, namely between the subject and the predicate: Li se fre mwen Mwen se doktè Sa se yon pyebwa mango Nou se zanmi The subject ''sa'' or ''li'' can sometimes be omitted with ''se'': Se yon bon ide Se nouvo chemiz mwen For the future tense, such as "I want to be" usually ''devenir'' is used instead of ''se''. "Ye" has a similar meaning, but it is placed at the end of the sentence, after the predicate and the subject (in that order): Ayisyen mwen ye Ki moun sa? Kouman ou ye? To have The verb "to have" is ''genyen'', often shortened to ''gen''. There Is The verb ''genyen'' (or ''gen'') also means "There is" (or "There are") Genyen anpil Ayisyen nan Florid Gen yon moun la Pa gen moun la To know There are two verbs which are often as "to know", but they mean different things. ''Konn'' or ''konnen'' means just about what "to know" means in English. Èske ou konnen non li? M pa konnen kote li ye The other word is ''konn''. It is not easy to translate as a single word, but it most approximately means "to know how", "to have experience", or "to know how to do something". This is similar to the "know" is used in the English phrase "know how to ride a bike": it denotes not only a knowledge of the actions, but also some experience with it. Mwen konn fe manje Eske ou konn ale Ayiti? Li pa konn li franse Another verb worth mentioning is ''fe''. It comes from the French ''faire'' and is often translated as "do" or "make". It has a broad range of meanings. Kouman ou fe pale kreyol? Marie konn fe mayi moulen. To be able to The verb ''kapab'' or shortened to ''ka'' means "able to (do something)". It means both "capability" and "availability", very similar to the English "can" Mwen ka ale demen Petet m ka fe se demen Tense markers There is no conjugation is Haitian Creole. In the present, non-progressive tense, one just uses the basic verb form: Mwen pale kreyol For other tenses, special "tense marker" words are placed before the verb. The basic ones are: te ap a pral tap For the present progressive (I am eating now)- (notice that it is not necessary to say "right now" but it is customary) ''ap'' is used: M'ap manje kounye a Note that ''manje'' means both "food" and "to eat", and ''m'ap manje manje'' is also said and means "I am eating food". With ''ap'' and ''a'' the pronouns nearly always take the short form (''m'ap'', ''l'ap'', ''n'ap'', ''y'ap''): Mwen te we zanmi ou ye Nou te pale lenten Le li te gen wit an... M'a travay M pral travay N'a li'l demen Nou pral li'l demen Additional time-related markers are: fek sot They are often used to together: Mwen fek sot antre kay la Also ''t'ap'' is a combination of ''te'' and ''ap'' and means "was doing": Mwen t'ap mache e m'we yon chen Another tense marker is ''ta'', meaning "would": yo ta renmen jwe Mwen ta vini si mwen te gen youn machin Li ta bliye'w si ou pa't la Negating the verb The word ''pa'' comes before a verb to negate it: Rose pa vle ale Simple sample phrases General greeting The most common greeting is ''Sak pase?'' , short for ''Ki sa ki pase?'' ("What's happening?"). Typical replies include
Useful phrases
See also
External links
|