Haitian Kreyol

[Leila Monaghan]

   1. Hi Hal, thanks for looking at the website.  These are the two comments
   on the petition to have Haitian Kreyol in schools that opposed (thus my
    characterization of them as "negative") teaching in Kreyol.   Both are
   thoughtful comments and I was wondering if there were commentators that
   wanted to add more to the general discussion.

   all best, Leila

   Nancy Reyes <http://tioedong.xanga.com/> says

   Are you implying that Haitian kids are dumber than kids whose first
   language is Catalan, Swiss dialect, Cebuano or Karanga but have to study
   books written in the language of the majority (Spanish, German, Tagalog,
   Shona)?

   For younger kids, immersion works,In Africa, the teacher speaks slowly
   and explains things in the local language when they have a problem. And the
   cost of printing all textbooks in the local dialect is huge: remember, even
   in Haiti there are three local dialects.

   Instead of spending oodles of money to print “new” textbooks in local
   dialect, if you want to improve education, find a way to give out cheap
   protein supplements into the villages and given out in school nutrition
   programs, so the kids brains aren’t damaged by malnutrition.

   and, FYI:
   It is corruption, not language, that is the cause of Haiti’s problems.
   August 13, 2010, 6:31
pm<http://www.linguisticanthropology.org/2010/08/11/petition-on-haitian-kreyol/#comment-553>
   Edit<http://www.linguisticanthropology.org/wp-admin/comment.php?action=editcomment&c=553>
   2. Patrick-André Mather, University of Puerto Rico, Rio
Piedras<http://www.pamather.com/>
    says

   Dear colleagues,
   I have read the petition by Yves Dejean, and as a linguist and creolist,
   I am probably the only “voix discordante” in this apparently unanimous
   support for Haitian Creole as the sole language of instruction in Haiti.
   Suggesting that the current principal language of instruction (French) is
   the sole or main culprit for Haiti’s failing education system seems unfair
   and misguided. There are many examples of successful diglossic situations
   throughout the world, for example in Switzerland where the majority of the
   population speaks Swiss German, yet is educated in Standard German, without
   any apparent problem in students’ success rates. To think that changing the
   whole educational system to Haitian is going to solve the poor perfomance,
   low literacy rates, and underfunding of the schools is not very realistic.
   Most Haitian parents WANT their children to learn French in school. Who
   are we to tell them otherwise, even if we mean well? How likely is such a
   move to succeed, if it goes against the wishes of a substantial part of the
   Haitian population? Learning French, in addition to Haitian Creole, gives
   Haitians access to a major international language, from which most of their
   vocabulary is derived, and which is part of Haiti’s historical and cultural
   heritage, whether you like it or not. It also facilitates access to all
   kinds of exchange programs with French-speaking countries and universities,
   and should not be seen purely as an instrument of discrimination. In other
   countries, such as Canada (Quebec), native languages like Inuktitut are used
   during the first 2 or 3 years of instruction, after which other languages
   are introduced, such as French and English. Children are perfectly capable
   of acquiring native-like proficiency in more than one language, and I think
   well-meaning American linguists should perhaps ask the Haitians themselves
   if they think French should be eliminated from the education system, or
   whether a more moderate, mixed approach should be adopted, strengthening the
   teaching of both Haitian AND French, instead of using French as a scapegoat
   for the failings of a corrupt and underfunded education system.
   Although I hold the authors and signataries of this petition in high
   regard (some are colleagues and personal friends), I cannot sign it as it is
   currently worded, because it is completly one-sided, and apparently does not
   take into account the wishes and opinions of Haitians themselves, who are,
   after all, “les principaux intéressés”.
   Patrick-André Mather


On Tue, Aug 17, 2010 at 7:27 AM, Leila Monaghan <leila.monaghan at gmail.com>wrote:

> Hi, two thoughtful but negative reactions have appeared on the SLA blog in
> response to the Haitian *Kreyòl petition I posted.  Many arguments are
> very similar to the debate in the Oakland controversy.  I would welcome more
> conversation on this topic.*
>
> **all best,
>
> Leila
>
>
> http://www.linguisticanthropology.org/2010/08/11/petition-on-haitian-kreyol/
>
> --
> Leila Monaghan, PhD
> Department of Anthropology
> University of Wyoming
> Laramie, Wyoming
>



-- 
Leila Monaghan, PhD
Department of Anthropology
University of Wyoming
Laramie, Wyoming