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Created page with 'Haitian Creole (''Kréyol'') is a language based on French spoken in the Caribbean nation of Haiti. Most of the lexicon is derived from French, however many of the w...'
Haitian Creole (''Kréyol'') is a language based on [[French]] spoken in the [[Caribbean]] nation of [[Haiti]]. Most of the lexicon is derived from French, however many of the words can be traced to West [[Africa]]. The language deveoped in Haiti in the 17th and 18th Centuries.
===History===
During Haiti's colonial rule by France, West African slaves were imported in large numbers. Like much of the Caribbean, Africans became the majority of the population. The languages of West Africa are numerous and the only language most newly arrived slaves had in common was French. French is taught in Haitian schools and is understood well by most Haitians, but Creole is the language of conversation.
===Linguistics===
Haitian Creole often corresponds to French. The Creole phrase ''Komoun ou ye''? (how are you?) is congruent to the (non-existent, grammatically incorrect) French phrase ''Comment tu est''? Likewise, the Creole phrase ''Sakpasé''? (what is happening?) is congruent to ''Ça que passe''? in French.
Haitian Creole has no verb conjugation. A Creole verb chart looks like this:
Mwen traval (I work)
Ou traval (You work)
Li traval (He/she works)
Nou traval (We work)
Yo traval (They work)
Haitian Creole uses markers for tense such as ''te'', ''ap'' and ''pral'':
Mwen te traval (I worked)
M'ap traval (I am working)
Mwen pral traval (I am going to work)
''Mwen'' for I correlates to the French ''moi''. ''Traval'' correlates to the French ''travailler''. In Caribbean and French fashion, Creole words are easily abbreviated or pushed together; in the above example ''m'ap'' is a contraction of ''mwen ap''.
Similar French Creole languages are spoken on several other Caribbean Islands.
Variations of the [[English]] and [[Spanish]] languages also exist in the Caribbean. These dialects also feature simplified verb conjugation, abbreviation and words of West African origin.
===External Links===
http://www.travelinghaiti.com/haitian_kreyol.asp Creole words and phrases
===History===
During Haiti's colonial rule by France, West African slaves were imported in large numbers. Like much of the Caribbean, Africans became the majority of the population. The languages of West Africa are numerous and the only language most newly arrived slaves had in common was French. French is taught in Haitian schools and is understood well by most Haitians, but Creole is the language of conversation.
===Linguistics===
Haitian Creole often corresponds to French. The Creole phrase ''Komoun ou ye''? (how are you?) is congruent to the (non-existent, grammatically incorrect) French phrase ''Comment tu est''? Likewise, the Creole phrase ''Sakpasé''? (what is happening?) is congruent to ''Ça que passe''? in French.
Haitian Creole has no verb conjugation. A Creole verb chart looks like this:
Mwen traval (I work)
Ou traval (You work)
Li traval (He/she works)
Nou traval (We work)
Yo traval (They work)
Haitian Creole uses markers for tense such as ''te'', ''ap'' and ''pral'':
Mwen te traval (I worked)
M'ap traval (I am working)
Mwen pral traval (I am going to work)
''Mwen'' for I correlates to the French ''moi''. ''Traval'' correlates to the French ''travailler''. In Caribbean and French fashion, Creole words are easily abbreviated or pushed together; in the above example ''m'ap'' is a contraction of ''mwen ap''.
Similar French Creole languages are spoken on several other Caribbean Islands.
Variations of the [[English]] and [[Spanish]] languages also exist in the Caribbean. These dialects also feature simplified verb conjugation, abbreviation and words of West African origin.
===External Links===
http://www.travelinghaiti.com/haitian_kreyol.asp Creole words and phrases