Haitian Creole

Haitian Creole
the creolized French that is the native language of most Haitians. Also called Creole, Haitian.

* * *

      a French-based vernacular language that developed in the late 17th and early 18th centuries. It developed primarily on the sugarcane plantations of Haiti from contacts between French colonists and African slaves. It has been one of Haiti's official languages since 1987 and is the first language of about 95 percent of Haitians, especially in rural areas. Like other French creoles (creole languages), its grammatical features can be related to those of the nonstandard dialects (dialect) of French spoken by the early colonists, although the features did not all originate in one particular dialect. Challenging problems for scholars include determining how these features were selected into Haitian Creole, what roles the African languages played in determining specific selections, and to what extent the features have been modified during their reorganization into the new system.

      Of all the French creoles of the Western Hemisphere, Haitian is probably the one that bears the most influence from African languages. Scholars who believe that creoles develop gradually (a point of view not held by all) have suggested that this is a result of two factors. One is the unusually high ratio of Africans to Europeans in the colony's early history: perhaps 9 to 1 in the 17th century, rising to approximately 16 to 1 in 1789 and increasing further during the Haitian Revolution (1791–1804), when most of the French colonists either left or died (see Haiti: History (Haiti)). The other is Haiti's early isolation from France, especially after independence in 1804.

      In contrast to the hemisphere's other creoles, which are primarily spoken in informal and domestic situations, Haitian Creole is also used for formal and public functions, notably in schools, in churches, and at political meetings.

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужен реферат?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Haitian Creole — noun a creole language spoken by most Haitians; based on French and various African languages • Hypernyms: ↑creole, ↑Romance, ↑Romance language, ↑Latinian language * * * noun see creole I * * * the creolized French that is the native language of… …   Useful english dictionary

  • Haitian Creole language — language name=Haitian Creole nativename=Kreyòl ayisyen =Créole Haïtien states=Haiti (Official), Bahamas, Dominican Republic, French Guiana [http://www.rosettaproject.org/archive/hat/view?searchterm=Haitian%20Creole] speakers= Approximately 12… …   Wikipedia

  • Haitian Creole Wikipedia — Infobox website name = Haitian Creole Wikipedia caption = url = http://ht.wikipedia.org/ commercial = No location = Miami, Florida type = Internet encyclopedia project language = Haitian Creole registration = Optional owner = Wikimedia Foundation …   Wikipedia

  • Haitian Creole — noun Date: circa 1938 a French based creole spoken by Haitians …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • Haitian Creole — noun A language spoken in Haiti; developed first as a creole based on French and several West African languages …   Wiktionary

  • Haitian Creole — Hai′tian Cre′ole n. peo a French based creole spoken in Haiti …   From formal English to slang

  • Haïtian Creole language/Swadesh list — …   Wikipedia

  • Haitian hip hop — is hip hop music originating from Haiti and sung by artists of Haitian descent. The most popular form of this is the rising of Hip Hop nan Kreyol or Creole (Haitian Creole) Hip Hop. Often, hardcore beats are used while the artist raps in creole.… …   Wikipedia

  • Haitian cuisine — Haitian cuisine. Haitian cuisine originates from several culinary styles from the various historical ethnic groups that populated the western portion of the island of Hispaniola, namely the French, African, and the Taíno Amerindians. Contents …   Wikipedia

  • Creole haitien — Créole haïtien Créole haïtien kreyòl ayisyen Parlée en Haïti, République dominicaine, États Unis, Canada, France, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Guyane, Venezuela, Cuba, et Bahamas Région Antilles et dans les communautés immigrées haïtiennes Nombre de… …   Wikipédia en Français

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”