15875: Allouard: Re: 15847: Dorce: Re: 15811: Magloire:School to be taught in French (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: Philippe Allouard <allouard@libertysurf.fr>


> From: LAKAT47@aol.com
>
>
> << Creole is the language of Haiti.  French is
> the language of France. >>
> ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Dear Kathy,

Here is a statement that seems to me partly a mistake, partly a problem.

A mistake:   French is not the language of France... at least not in the
meaning that it would be exclusive. Walloons in Belgium, Swiss from Valais,
Canadians of Quebec and so many people in Senegal, Ivory Cost, Tchad and
Gabon would strongly object to this idea that French is language of France.
French people do use French language, at least main part of them...  But
they are not the owners of the language... Citizenship and language are two
different things. I am French, I speak French, (less often than Creole, but
still)...  But I have no more right on my first language than other French
speakers upon the earth... Proof is that they can be at the Academie
Francaise and I cannot because my French language is not as perfect as
theirs... If only I could write half as well as Senghor! If only I could
express and share my memories as well as Laferriere!

A problem:   Is Creole the language of Haiti... Yes, but not the only
language [for this I understand from the way you put it would be your
thesis]. And the practical problem is that the more and more creole only
culture that appears in Haiti [so to speak because I don't want to consider
here the English wave] does not proceed from a perfection in Creole but
rather from a defection from French.
    The way to write Creole is still matter to discussion, and the number of
people able to write Creole "correctly" is still far from large. On the
adds, printed articles in newspapers, and private correspondance, you still
find many, many, many, many mistakes, usually proceeding from French
orthography, and not rarely from English orthography [recent exemple "sh"
used in place of the Creole "ch"]... It is not rare that two systems go on
in the same text, in the same word!  And, who would like to have an idea
about this interesting question would have to look at the 1000 ways "tires"
is written in Creole in the country: Kawoutchou is I think the correct one,
but has to compete with karoutchou, cawoutchou, ka woutchou, caoutchou, and
others...
    I know of no serious work to have Creole a complete language [actually,
I believe it IS a complete and beautiful  language... but for pragmatic
people, it is not because you cannot imagine yet a complete highschool and
university cursus in Creole only], I do not see many Haitian scholars
working at this... For exemple,  a work I would like to do is helping Creole
to touch abstract matters... I do believe it is not impossible to teach
philosophy in Creole... but I doubt it is possible yet! And here  is a vast
land to explore,  a wonderful job to do... But this work won't be done just
claiming that Creole is the language of Haiti... first of all because too
many Haitians are convinced Creole is not OK to work with always and in
every matter... second because, in fact, Creole is not the only language of
Haiti, for Haiti is now a 3 languages country, Creole, English and French,
probably soon to be a two languages country: Creole and English. During the
short break I take at work to writte this, two employees, Haitians, are
debatting in English the other side of my door as they usually do... One is
a "depote" [expelled] from the States, the other worked with the american
soldiers near the Airport... both always try to speak to me in English...
Especially Depote... I have always to say: Poukisa ou pede pale m angle? W
pa ka pale kreyol?

    Best regards!

                                Philippe