the “real” Haitian Creole: ideology, metalinguistics, and orthographic choice

Abstract

This article analyzes competing representations of kreyòl and the symbolic importance of decisions taken in standardizing a kreyòl orthography. Kreyòl, which educated Haitians claim to share with the masses, is an enduring symbol of Haitian identity, yet the image of this language is deeply contested in several arenas. Linking language ideology, in particular metalinguistic terms that refer to varieties of spoken kreyòl, to orthographic choice, we view the debates as part of a nationalist discourse about Haitianness—what is authentic and legitimate—and examine the role of language in national identity formation. [Haitian Creole, language ideology, metalinguistics, orthography, national identity]

Literacy in Pidgin and Creole Languages

“…So the Hawai'i Creole example would be: Dei ste kaming fo tawk wit daet ol baga. An intermediate phonemic orthography basically has one symbol (or digraph) for one phoneme, but in some cases it uses the spelling conventions of the lexifierfor example: < ou > for /u/ in French-lexified creoles (Schieffelin & Doucet, 1994) and < oa > for /oυ/ as in boat in the English-lexified Belize Kriol (Decker, 1995).…”

“…) Phonemic orthographies have been developed for many P/Cs. Haitian Creole has had several since the 1920s, all surrounded by vigorous ideological debates (Schieffelin & Doucet, 1994). The current official system, òtograf IPN (Institute Pédagogique National) is an intermediate phonemic orthography developed in the mid-1970s and made official in 1980.…”

Writing systems and linguistic identity of the Vlach community of Eastern Serbia

“…The choice a particular community makes regarding the way they will visually represent their language also implies a decision on how they will represent their identity (Unseth, 2008, p. 1), not only within the community, but also at a national or international level. Analysing the writing systems proposed for the vernacular of Haiti (kreyòl), Schieffelin & Doucet (1994) note that they are not based on a scientific investigation of the linguistic facts, but are cultural products which (re)present the Haitian postcolonial identity in different ways (closer or further from the French one), according to certain social and political interests of the competing groups and ideologies. Moreover, this priority given to social, political or religious facts over purely linguistic, functional ones is well documented for the graphic systems created by and for diverse communities and idioms, such as Hmong (Eira, 1998), Selsq (Priestly, 1992), Guernesiais (Sallabank, 2002).…”

Sisteme ortografice și identitate lingvistică la comunitatea românofonă din estul Serbiei

“…Alegerea pe care o face o comunitate cu privire la modul în care își va reprezenta vizual limba e și o decizie asupra felului în care își va reprezenta identitatea (Unseth, 2008, p. 1), nu doar în interiorul comunității, ci și la nivel național sau internațional. Analizînd sistemele ortografice propuse pentru redarea grafică a vernacularei folosite în Haiti (kreyòl), Schieffelin & Doucet (1994) observă că, departe de a fi întemeiate pe o investigare strict științifică a faptelor lingvistice, ele sînt produse culturale care (re)prezintă diferit identitatea haitiană postcolonială (mai aproape sau mai departe de cea franceză), în funcție de anumite interese sociale și politice ale taberelor și ideologiilor concurente. De altfel, prioritatea factorilor sociali, politici sau religioși asupra celor pur lingvistici, funcționali e bine documentată în cazul unor sisteme grafice create de și pentru diverse comunități și idiomuri, precum Hmong (Eira, 1998), Selsq (Priestly, 1992), Guernesiais (Sallabank, 2002).…”