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Kreyòl Pale, Kreyòl Konprann: Creole Speaks, Creole Understands: Part Two
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13954 |
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Section : |
CULTURE
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| Issue
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2 / 1988 |
3,592 Words |
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Robert Lawless
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Popular notions about the relationship between the French and Creole languages in Haiti have led to absurd statements, such as the assertion in a recent issue of Saturday Review, that "the ruling class in Haiti speaks only French." In the poorly phrased first article of the 1979 law that recognized Creole as Haiti's national language and for the first time permitted its use in schools as a medium of instruction, Creole was referred to as "a shared language spoken by 90 percent of the Haitian population."
More accurately, what should have been said is that 90 percent of the Haitian population speaks only Creole--and that less than 10 percent also uses French as a second language. Indeed, an independent nation in which the members of the ruling elite were unable to communicate at all with the majority of the populace would be extraordinary.
The law reflects the strange attitude of the country's social and government elite toward Creole. Indeed, many Western-educated Haitians seem somewhat ashamed of Creole. Shortly after World War II, an American, Mercer Cook, wrote in the French Review, "According to the testimony of many Haitian intellectuals, Creole is hardly rich enough to express certain ideas." I was told virtually the same thing in the 1980s.
Although the situation is changing--particularly among the new black middle class--many Haitians, when asked what language they speak, often answer French even though they might not speak it at all. Moreover, those older Haitians who do speak French are not always willing to concede right away that they also speak Creole.
While Haitians seem to admire French, they also have negative feelings about it. When Haitians say, "Li pale franse" (he speaks French), they are often making a derogatory comment about the person's character, implying that French is used for deception and, conversely, that people who have nothing to hide speak Creole.
In the International Migration Review Susan H. Buchanan, a researcher who did fieldwork among Haitians in Brooklyn in the late 1970s, discusses the prestige of French among Haitians but points out that "strong feelings exist that French is the language of pretense, duplicity, deceit, and falseness; conversely the 'lowness' of Haitian Creole is identified with positive traits, such as truth, integrity, sincerity, and genuineness."
Many Haitians who speak French admit that using it makes them feel uncomfortable. Often, outside observers--myself included--have noticed that when Haitians speak French, they become stiff and serious even if the topic is light. The use of French is so formal that it seems contrived. A popular Haitian proverb cautions, "Pale franse pa di lespri pou sa" (to speak French doesn't necessarily mean that you're smart).
French: The language of public appearance and authority
There are various situations in which the exclusive use of either French or Creole is considered appropriate. The few Haitians who know French rarely use it among themselves: in general, the usage is limited to formal and public situations, especially those in which social distance and an absence of intimacy is being emphasized, such as academic and diplomatic
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