#1149: Bellegarde responds to Dorce replying to Durran on Bilingualism (fwd)

[Robert Corbett <bcorbett@netcom.com>]

From: P D Bellegarde-Smith <pbs@csd.uwm.edu>

> 
> From:LAKAT47@aol.com
> 
> I think people may be laboring under false assumptions here.  Contrary to the 
> posts on this thread, the vast majority of Haitians who do not speak French 
> and live in various levels of poverty, DO NOT wish to be part of the 
> bourgeoisie.  I use my husband as a reference on this and many other matters 
> that concern the majority class Haitian.  He tells me that if you are Haitian 
> you speak Kreyol so therefore if a Haitian speaks French to him, he will 
> reply in Kreyol and considers the French as the Haitian equivalent of 
> "putting on airs."  (By the way, he speaks French and will respond in French 
> 

Bellegarde-Smith responds: my exprience is usually very different, for
perhaps obvious reasons. When approaching a fellow Haitian, he or she
might be terribly disturbed if I address him/her in Haitian (Creole); it
is surmising that they may not know French. Of course, after one addresses
him/her in French, one realizes that they oftentimes cannot speak French.
No matter. The game better be played. My solution? In the opening phrases,
mix liberally French words and syntax with Haitian words and syntax. That
way the onus is on the person to respond as he/she wishes. Yew! It better
be said not in "parler pointu."