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Haitian Creole Language Guide

Haitian Creole is the native language of Haiti. While over 90% of the vocabulary in Haitian Creole comes from French, the two languages are not mutually intelligible due to differences in grammar. Words that had a single meaning centuries ago in French may now have different meanings or replacements in the modern languages as a result of semantic changes over time. For example, the Haitian Creole phrase "Ki jan ou rele?" translates to the French "Comment vous appelez-vous?" but contains words of French origin that have taken on new meanings and the average French speaker would not understand it.

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229 views3 pages

Haitian Creole Language Guide

Haitian Creole is the native language of Haiti. While over 90% of the vocabulary in Haitian Creole comes from French, the two languages are not mutually intelligible due to differences in grammar. Words that had a single meaning centuries ago in French may now have different meanings or replacements in the modern languages as a result of semantic changes over time. For example, the Haitian Creole phrase "Ki jan ou rele?" translates to the French "Comment vous appelez-vous?" but contains words of French origin that have taken on new meanings and the average French speaker would not understand it.

Uploaded by

Tanya Korolov
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Haitian Creole - 26July2017

English Haitian Creole French

Haitian Creole kreyl ayisyen crole hatien


Haitian Cuban Ayisyen Kiben Hatien Cubain
Haitian French frans ayisyen franais hatien

I speak Creole. Mwen pale kreyl. Je parle crole.

There are many Haitians in Florida. Gen anpil Ayisyen nan Florid. Il y a beaucoup d'Hatiens en Floride.

What is your name? Ki jan ou rele? Comment vous appelez-vous?

Etymology:

Although over 90% of the Haitian Creole vocabulary is of French


origin, the two languages are mutually unintelligible. This is because
the two grammars are different. In addition, both Haitian Creole and
French have experienced semantic change; words that had a single
meaning in the 17th century have changed or have been replaced in
both languages. For example, "Ki jan ou rele?" ("What is your name?")
corresponds to the French Comment vous appelez-vous ? Although the
average French speaker would not understand this phrase, every word
in it is in fact of French origin: qui "what"; genre "manner"; vous "you",
and hler "to call", but the verb hler has been replaced by appeler in
modern French.

When Other Languages Are Involved (Geopolitical)

Haitiano-Cubano

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