Haitian Creole
Aprann Kreyòl Ayisyen
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Haitian Creole (kreyòl ayisyen), often called simply Creole or Kreyòl (pronounced [kɰejɔl]), is a language spoken by about ten million people residing in the Bahamas, Cuba, Canada, Cayman Islands, Dominican Republic, French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Belize, Puerto Rico, and the mainland United States. The language is notable for being the most widely spoken creole language in the world.
Haitian Creole is one of Haiti's two official languages, along with French. It is a creole based largely on 18th-century French with various other influences, most notably African languages (including some Arabic), as well as Spanish and Taíno (language native to Haiti) — and increasingly English. If you are already familiar with French, this language should be easy for you.
Partly due to efforts of Félix Morisseau-Leroy, since 1961 Haitian Creole has been recognized as an official language along with French, which had been the sole literary language of the country since its independence in 1804. The official status was maintained under the country's 1987 constitution. The use of Creole in literature has been small but is increasing. Morisseau was one of the first and most influential authors to write in Creole. Since the 1980s, many educators, writers and activists have emphasized pride and written literacy in Creole. Today numerous newspapers, as well as radio and television programs, are produced in Creole.
Haitian Creole is easy to learn because:
- Words rarely inflect. No conjugation, no declension.
- It has many cognates with English, and even more with French.
Lessons
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It is recommended to do these in order.
- Alphabet and pronunciation
- Basic vocabulary
- Basic grammar
- Articles
- Vocabulary Review on Wikiversity
- The verb se
- Verb tenses
- Numbers
- A thing to read
- Question words
- Negative words
- Telling time