Filed under: World Politics
The tweet that started it all (username absent to protect privacy):
There’s a slim chance I might be sent to Florida or Haiti to help with relief efforts as a transport EMT. Too bad I don’t speak Spanish.
Immediate thought: I know you’re smart. You must know that Haitians do not speak Spanish.
Next thought: Why would you think Haitians speak Spanish? Because they’re right next to the Dominican Republic? Come on!
Okay, so, how about a little lesson on Haitian ethnolinguistics.
Haiti’s regional, historical and ethnolinguistic position is unique for several reasons. It was the first independent nation in Latin America, the first post-colonial independent black-led nation in the world, and the only nation whose independence was gained as part of a successful slave rebellion. Despite having common cultural links with its Hispano-Caribbean neighbors, Haiti is the only predominantly Francophoneindependent nation in the Americas. It is one of only two independent nations in the Americas (along with Canada) that designate French as an official language; the other French-speaking areas are all overseas départements, or collectivités, of France.
Languages
One of Haiti’s two official languages is French, which is the principal written, spoken in schools, and administratively authorized language. It is spoken by most educated Haitians and is used in the business sector. The second is the recently standardized Haitian Creole,[98] which is spoken by virtually the entire population of Haiti. Haitian creole is one of the French-based creole languages, which also contains significant African influence, as well as influence from Spanish and Taíno. Haitian creole is closely related to Louisiana Creole. Spanish is also spoken by a good portion of the population, though it is not an official language.
Got it twitter buddy? Want to learn some?
| Family: Mother – maman Father – papa, pè Grandmother – gran-papa, grann Grandfather – granpè Son – fis, pitit gason Daughter – tifi, pitit fi Sister – sè Brother – frè Aunt – tant, matant Uncle – tonton, monnonk Numbers:
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Colours: white – blan gray – gri black – nwa red – rouj violet – vyolèt yellow – jòn green – vè, vèt pink – roz orange – zoranj brown – maron blue – ble gold – lò silver – ajan, lajan Other words and phrases: |
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