35epiph@mindspring.com37: Francophonie - francofolly (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: Constantin Severe <csevere@hotmail.com>

This is in reply to the whole francophone discussion. How is French a 
foreign language? Call it a colonial after effect or what have you, but it 
is a language that has been spoken in Haiti for around 300 years and for 
close to 200 years after independence. I agree that there should be an 
emphasis on Creole first, then French. Accepting the figure that only 10% of 
the population speaks French that would amount to 800,000 Haitians choosing 
to speak it. The number would be higher if all those wanting to be educated 
were. For whatever reason French has endured in Haiti and will continue to. 
The only way to remove French from being a barrier to economic mobility is 
to provide all Haitians with the opportunity to learn it.
I've known black and mixed race South Africans whose first or second 
language was Afrikaans(a language used for divisive purposes by the 
Apartheid era government). Those South Africans have made Afrikaans their 
own just as Haitians have made French their own.


>From: Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>
>To: Haiti mailing list <haiti@lists.webster.edu>
>Subject: 8523:  Francophonie -  francofolly? (fwd)
>Date: Mon, 2 Jul 2001 09:02:50 -0500 (CDT)
>
>
>From: AR Perrault <arperrault_04@yahoo.com>
>
>
>It was interesting to read post #8500 by Guy Antoine who clearly sees the
>problem of holding on to the french language, and then read post #8501 by
>Senou who writes about raising haitian culture in Dade County.
>
>I truly believe that holding on to the french language serves a
>dis-service to Haitian people.  Understand that I was not allow to speak
>Kreyol at home until I was twelve.  But having been immerse in english for
>more than half of my life now, I do believe that Haitian should speak
>Kreyol then adopt a foreign language: french, english or spanish.
>
>So french is nothing else but a foreign language. With less than 20% of
>the world population being francophone and the INTERNET being dominated by
>english, surrounded by neighbour that speak spanish or english, it makes
>sense to learn something USEFUL, sorry! PRACTICAL how is that?
>
>Some of you may say well what about Kreyol? well I only have one answer:
>90% of Haitians speak Kreyol, only 10% can speak french.  Again I am only
>looking at the big picture (world population), what is going on on the
>island of 'Haiti' is for Haitians there to decide.
>
>Ronel Perrault, PhD
>
>
>
>
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