16020: Fouche: Re: 16002: Lally: French vs Creole (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: "[iso-8859-1] Rachel Fouché" <vze4xd3t@verizon.net>

>From what I understand, Creole in Martinique is only spoken by older
Martiniquais of Haitian descent, and is widely used in soca music (such as
Kassav'), but it's not used in common parlance.  As Martinique remains a
colony of France, I don't ever see Creole ever blossoming into a national
method of communication as it had in Haiti.  Psychologically, it is
extremely important to the French government to maintain French as the
primary language in Martinique, because the ability to speak French fluently
marks one as French -- theoretically.  Could this be a subversive CIA plot
to cause mass dissention amongst the natives, ultimately slipping that
island into the back pocket of the US?  Not for me to say!

All kidding aside, was she a Mormon Missionary by any chance?  The reason I
ask this question is that the Church of Latter Day Saints have a presence in
Haiti, and this may be a natural outgrowth of their activities in Haiti.  I
have met many Mormons who could speak Creole fluently in Massachusetts, so
there may be a link.

Rachel Fouché