22624: Docteed: Re: 22614: DeGraff: Re: 22612: Vishnusurf: Re: 22609:

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: Docteed@aol.com
----------------------------------------

How can anyone disagree with all that has been said by Michel  D. and Gi
A.
regarding Haitian Creole? And perhaps the real value of this thread is not
in
trying to convince Ms. Grey of the error of her ways (she probably cannot
be
convinced because she claims religious authority in her pronunciation).
Rather,  it is important to point out--as has been done very successfully
by
several respondents--that Haitian Creole is the first language of some 8
million speakers in Haiti and elsewhere.   It has an official orthography,
and
it cannot be flexible in its spelling,  no matter what anyone wants to
think or
say about the issue. Nor can you spell "cat" as "kat" in English and get
away
with it even it the two different letters represent the same sound!  There
is
one recognized spelling. AND a vodou priestess is spelled "manbo" in
Valdman's
dictionary, for example, and "manba" is peanut butter, as was pointed out.
You
disvalue the language if you do not recognize and accept this fact.  You
disvalue Haitian people and their culture if you do not respect their
language.
I do disagree, however, with a blanket disparagement of all White folks,
non-native speakers, non-Haitians, anthropologists, sociologists,
non-linguists, etc., who are interested in (or who just plain LOVE) Haiti,
the
Haitian people, and the language.  It is not "neo-colonialist" or
paternalistic
to want to hear about and discuss issues about a place that is important
to
many different kinds of readers on this list.  There cannot be "ownership"
of
philosophical/social/economic/linguistic issues related to Haiti or the
U.S. or
any other place.
DTeed