Haitian Creole
English
Haitian Creole at UVA and Duke
Elementary and Intermediate Creole classes build proficiency in listening, speaking, reading, and writing, and provide an introduction to Creole studies. These classes also explore the following issues: health care, Haitian women's rights, and unpaid children servants. Through these topics people will acquire enough vocabulary to interact with native Haitian Creole speakers. Moreover, students will develop an appreciation for Haitian and Creole cultures and have a better understanding of "vodou", the religion practiced by a large Haitian population. As the Haitian Creole proverb says: "Kreyòl pale, kreyòl konprann".
Haitian-Creole Facts
Haitian Creole is one of the official languages of Haiti along with French. Haitian Creole is spoken by the entire population of Haiti whereas French is spoken by a tiny minority of the population. Speaking Haitian Creole will help you to connect with the entire population of Haiti and come into contact with Haitian culture through riddles, proverbs, songs, and films. Haitian Creole is spoken by 12 million Haitians in Haiti and 3 million more Haitians living overseas (the United States, France, Canada, the Dominican Republic, Curacao, Surinam, Aruba, Bahamas, and others) without counting Haitian Americans. By learning Haitian Creole, you will discover how French and Creole are two different languages as is the case for Spanish and Portuguese. Haitian Creole is as poetic and romantic as other languages and its grammatical structure is, in some aspects, simple and complex.
Native Language
Kreyòl
Klas elemantè ak entèmedyè yo ap ede nou metrize lang lan nan tout aspè sa yo: koute, pale, li, ak ekri. Klas sa yo ap bay etidyan yo yon ti limyè sou sa yo rele etid Kreyòl tou. Nan klas sa yo, n ap pale sou pwoblèm swen sante, dwa fanm ak rèstavèk ann Ayiti. Sijè sa yo ap ede elèv yo genyen bonjan vokabilè pou rive kominike ak ayisyen natif natal. An plis, elèv yo ap devlope yon apresyasyon pou kilti kreyòl yo, e y ap vin konprann relijyon vodou a pi byen, yon relijyon pi fò Ayisyen pratike. Tankou pwovèb kreyòl ayisyen an di: “Kreyòl pale, Kreyòl konprann”.
Poukisa nou dwe aprann Kreyòl?
Kreyòl Ayisyen se yonn nan lang ofisyèl ann Ayiti ansanm ak Franse. Tout Ayisyen pale kreyòl, men yon ti minorite moun pale franse. Si ou aprann pale kreyòl, w ap kapab pale ak tout popilasyon ayisyen an, epi w ap gen chans pou dekouvri yon bon pati nan kilti peyi a ki chita nan devinèt, pwovèb, chante ak sinema. Ann Ayiti, 9 milyon moun pale Kreyòl, e genyen 3 milyon lòt k ap viv lòt bò dlo (Etazini, Frans, Kanada, Repiblik Dominikèn, Kiraso, Bahamas, elatriye) ki pale li tou, san nou pa menm konte ayisyen Ameriken yo. Antan w ap aprann lang kreyòl la, w ap wè ki jan Kreyòl diferan ak Franse; tankou Panyòl diferan ak Pòtigè. Kreyòl ayisyen se yon lang ki powetik ak womantik tankou lòt lang; e li gen estrikti gramatikal ki senp ak konplèks tankou sa ye nan tou lòt lang.