Kreyol

Below is an article by Trenton Daniel concerning the increasing use of Haitian Kreyol in schools - which is a good thing.  In a hemisphere dominated by Spanish and English, French remains the language of the Haitian elite.  While true that Haiti has produced artists of note who worked in French, countless children didn't have a chance at a good education because they were instructed in a language neither they nor their teachers were comfortable with.  Learning multiple languages makes sense - but so does being tought in (and proud of) your first language. 

If you are (very) interested in Haiti, consider joining Corbett's List, easily the most active Haiti listserv.  The listserv carried an email today about Poto Mitan,  an impressive online repository of educational resources in Kreyol - everything from poetry to proverbs to  computer terminology.  It could be a good resource for Haitian educators or for people who want to learn Kreyol.  Links to several of the items featured on Poto Mitan are listed below.

It's been said that a person's first language is the language of the heart and the second is the language only of the head.   Is it possible to really understand a country without knowing the predominate language?  I don't think it is.  Haiti is often called a Francophone country, and while the politicians and wealthy speak it, they are a minority.  The country is Kreyolphone!  Below is some information on Haiti's only widely spoken language and some resources for learning it.