#1887: Crenglish/Cranglais: What's wrong with that? (fwd)

[Robert Corbett <bcorbett@netcom.com>]

From:Tetgren1@aol.com

I was trying to reply to Morse's account of stumbling over French, while conversing with a parent, but sometimes this email thing confuses the hell out of me.

Just ask. Be blunt. "Ou pa ka pale Kreyol?" or as I like to ask, "Mon Compe, Sa Kreyol fe'w?" Some people act like speaking to a stranger in Kreyol is offensive. It bothers me when people are intimidated by the use of French. But it bothers me even more when people snub Kreyol. I've noticed a great many of people my age and younger throw in a combination of Creole and English when speaking. We don't care. Crenglish/Cranglais as my crew likes to call it. There are times when you know what you want to say, but may not be too sure of the proper way to say it in French or Creole. You should in no way feel obligated to tickle someone else's fancy by masquerading as a Frenchman. Hey, it's cool if you can wing French, Creole, and English, but in no way neccessary. It may sound funny but who is judging? I live in the U.S. and I know long ago somebody deemed French as the "official" language of Haiti but when I visited Haiti, Creole was much more useful to me than French. And I'm big o!
!
n practicality. Kreyol pale, Kreyol konprann, right? As my mother would say in Creole (I'll say it my way), "If they ne l'aime pas, they can chita right kote' li". That expression always bugs me out.

Slangfully,
Tetgren
"Don't remove the kinks from your hair. Remove them from your mind/brain" M. Garvey