13703: White: RE French speak Kreyol (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: Steven White <polanve@optonline.net>

I had a very interesting encounter in Haiti in May with a woman who was born
in Haiti, but grew up in Mexico and Spain.  She spoke Spanish.  She learned
French in school.  Her boyfriend was Haitian; he spoke Kreyol, English, and
French.  I speak English, Spanish, and Kreyol.  Now, as you can see, there
was no one language that we all three had in common.  To speak to me, she
needed to use Spanish, as I speak no French.  He did not understand, so I
would repeat to him in English or Kreyol.  He would respond to me in English
or Kreyol, and I would explain his answer to her in Spanish.  She would
reply to him in French, and he would translate for me in English or Kreyol.

Despite her being in Haiti for a week or so, and being very intelligent (she
was a medical student in Spain) she did not pick up Kreyol right away.  I
have heard that there are advantages for French speakers who want to learn
Kreyol, in that there are many similar words, but also that there is a
disadvantage, in that most Haitians will be able to communicate with you
whether you learn Kreyol or not.  Perhaps this may give the impression to
some French speakers that they have learned the language, when in fact their
understanding is rather superficial.  This disadvantage is most evident if
the Kreyol speaking person does not want the French speaker to understand
what he/she is saying.

As an English speaking person, I don't understand Jamaican Creole/Patois. I
don't believe that I would be fluent after a few days, or even a month in
Jamaica.  I certainly would learn a lot (I consider myself a quick learner)
and I would probably progress much faster than if I was in China, but I
wouldn't go back to the States bragging that I had learned a language in a
few days or weeks, because I know my Jamaican neighbors would put me in my
place.