12877: French vs. Creole/Ayisyen, attitude (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: Aletha Stahl <stahlal@earlham.edu>

keywords: French, language, Creole, Ayisyen

A recent misunderstanding between 2 of my colleagues, one of whom is
Haitian, reminded me of an ongoing question I've had about French in Haiti.

In several instances, I -- a white North American who speaks French and can
get along in Ayisyen -- have felt almost a personality shift when Haitian
acquaintances who come from non-French-speaking homes move into French.
Their tone and demeanor feel to me more arrogant and "hautain." In fact, it
can seem that they are posturing. I want to be clear that this is my
perception of how they sound -- I learned French outside Haiti and am not
Haitian -- and has nothing to do with their own sense of attitude or
intentions. In other words, French is learned and enunciated with a tone
significantly different from that of Ayisyen.

I realize that French plays a variety of roles in Haiti and that speakers
of French in Haiti operate in multiple registers. Also, I think there is
something of a language continuum that runs between French and Ayisyen.
However, given the social capital of French and both its past and present
uses, I wonder if others of you in Corbettland share my sense of difference
in tone between French and Ayisyen and what you have to say on this subject.

Mesi.

Aletha Stahl