Haitian Creole is a French based language spoken by 7 million people every day, one million of whom speak the language in its Diaspora around the world where Haitians have settled. Known by the Haitians as ‘Kreyol’, it is pronounced as written.

Creole is a Portuguese word meaning a person of European descent born and raised in another part of the world. It is the meeting of two diverse languages which result in a new language formed out of necessity as a means of communicating with each other. The French colonialist occupied Haiti in 1629 and needed slaves to work the plantations. Neither spoke the others’ language thereby creating the need for a common line of communication and what eventually evolved was the Haitian Creole.

Throughout its history 90% of the Haitian population spoke only Haitian Creole and the other 10% spoke, French which was the official languages, used in schools, official documents and by the legal system and it was also the rule by which class and status was measured. It was due to individuals like Felix Morriseau-Leroy who began in 1961 to make efforts to have the language gain recognition and official status. Finally, it was upheld by the constitution in1987 and now stands alonmgside French as the two official languages spoken in Haiti.

The reason for the struggle to gain recognition perhaps has its roots in history when the ability to speak French was a status symbol and throughout the Haiti’s history it was a factor which divided those who were always free and educated, from those who got their freedom as a result of the official end of slavery, this was particularly applicable to the people who were mixed race individuals.

There seems to be shame attached to speaking only Creole, because often Haitians going abroad will claim to speak French when in fact they do not. Haitian Creole has a negative image; however language experts seem to agree that on the surface it might appear simple; however it is far more complex in its application on intellectual, psychological and social levels.

There are many types of Creole spoken throughout the world, based in other European languages including Spanish and English. However, Haitian Creole is believed to have its roots in the African-Congo and Frence and it is the most widely spoken Creole in the world today.

For centuries attempts have been made to put Haitian Creole into a written form which by all accounts has been an uphill struggle, because it was seen as having a lowly status, receiving no support from the Haitians themselves, but rather pushing and encouraging their children to learn French as a means of advancement and a ticket to escaping poverty.

There has also been in the past, a lack of teachers willing to teach the subject and also a pitiful supply of any significant literature written in Haitian Creole. However, in recent times, official sources have been making efforts to turn the tide of disinterest around and now there are newspapers printed in Haitian Creole and many radio and television programs are also being produced in the language.