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When communicating speakers map meaning onto form. It would thus seem obvious for languages to show a one-to-one correspondence between meaning and form, but this is often not the case. This perfect mapping, i.e. transparency, is indeed continuously violated in natural languages, giving rise to zero-to-one, one-to-many, and many-to-one opaque correspondences between meaning and form. However, transparency is a mutating feature, which can be influenced by language contact. In this scenario languages tend to evolve and lose some of their opaque features, becoming more transparent. This study investigates transparency in a very specific contact situation, namely that of a creole, Haitian Creole, and its sub- and superstrate languages, Fongbe and French, within the Functional Discourse Grammar framework. We predict Haitian Creole to be more transparent than French and Fongbe and investigate twenty opacity features, divided into four categories, namely Redundancy (one-to-many), Fusion (many-to-one), Discontinuity (one meaning is split in two or more forms,) and Form-based Form (forms with no semantic counterpart: zero-to-one). The results indeed prove our prediction to be borne out: Haitian Creole only presents five opacity features out of twenty, while French presents nineteen and Fongbe nine. Furthermore, the opacity features of Haitian Creole are also present in the other two languages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In addition to plurality, creole plural morphemes impart an additional meaning of definiteness or specificity to the nominal expressions they mark. As of yet, there is no precise characterization either empirical or theoretical of the semantic/pragmatic dimensions they convey. Furthermore, the question of whether this added meaning is largely fixed across distinct creoles and plural morphemes, or subject to variations has never been examined. With the goal of bringing new insights intothese questions, this paper reports the results of a comparativestudy of the properties of two creole plural morphemes in two distinct French-lexifier creoles, Haitian Creole (HC) and Mauritian Creole (MC). Besides relying on native speaker intuitions, a detailed comparative qualitative and quantitative study of the uses of these plural morphemes was conducted in a textual corpus in two adaptations of the story of the Little Prince by Antoine De St Exupery, in Haitian Creole and in Mauritian Creole respectively. The results of this comparative investigation clearly demonstrate that the use of plural morphemes in the two creoles, though similarin a number of respects, also differ quite systematically. We observe that the distinctions noted closely mirror the uses of the singular definite marker 'la' bv' also argued to subtly diverge in these two creoles (Wespel 2008, Déprez 2016, in preparation). The paper analyzes this mirroring effect as a consequence of the positions that the plural morphemes come to occupy in the nominal structure and of the way the structure building operations are constrained in the different creoles. Concretely it is argued that the plural morphemes come to derivationally occupy the position of definite articles in each of the languages, and that this derivational process is obligatory in Haitian Creole due to the pronominal nature of its plural morpheme, but remains optional in Mauritian. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A century after the slaves of Saint-Domingue won their liberty, their descendants, the free peasantry of the Republic of Haiti, remained impoverished and without access to channels of recourse. Their isolation was exacerbated by the linguistic divide in Haiti, where French was the exclusive language of official and written contexts while the majority of the population spoke only Haitian Creole. At the start of the twentieth century, a movement began to dismantle this linguistic hierarchy. Haitian poets and novelists started using Creole in their works of literature in order to contest the notion that Creole was an inferior language. They believed that a linguistic revolution would allow Haiti's monolingual masses to participate in public life for the first time in Haiti's history. Georges Sylvain, Frédéric Marcelin, and their colleagues effectively opened the debate around the status of Creole, and founded a national literature in the process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We argue that local languages, coupled with modern pedagogy and technology, are necessary, though not sufficient, ingredients for universal access to quality education. Our case study is Haiti, where French is the primary language of school instruction, though it is spoken by only a small percentage of the population, while Haitian Creole (aka 'Kreyòl'), the language fluently spoken by all Haitians in Haiti, is mostly excluded from the formal discourse and written documents that create and transmit knowledge (and power) in schools, courts, state offices, and so forth. We first describe the historical, political, linguistic, and sociocultural backgrounds to such impediments to quality education in Haiti. Then we present and analyze data that begin to answer these two questions: (i) What does change look like in complex postcolonial contexts, especially change in educators' attitudes toward the use of stigmatized languages (such as Kreyòl) in formal education? (ii) How can local languages such as Kreyòl serve to enhance the promotion and dissemination of modern pedagogy and technology for STEM education, and vice versa--namely, how can STEM education, in turn, serve to enhance the promotion of stigmatized languages such as Kreyòl? [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we discuss current trends in sociolinguistic work focusing on language in metropolitan Miami, an area we contend is underrepresented in the sociolinguistics literature given the unique contact situation that has arisen there during the past half century. We focus our attention on four main areas of theoretical and empirical concern: (1) Spanish-English bilingualism, (2) issues related to the varieties of Spanish spoken in Miami, (3) issues related to the varieties of English spoken in Miami, and (4) an overview of languages other than English and Spanish spoken in the region, with particular attention to Haitian Creole. We conclude with suggestions for future sociolinguistic work in all of these areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

My essay, “Lenelle Moïse: Postscript, Swimming in the Waters of Endezo,” examines the work of Haitian American poet and performance artist, Lenelle Moïse, who artfully blends Haitian Kreyòl and English in her poems and solo performances. She challenges conventional understandings of gender and sexual difference through interrogating language and positionality in ways that explore the interrelatedness between words, images, and movement. My essay is an exploratory analysis of the solo performance,Madivinez and To Erzulie, the experimental video produced and directed by videographer Mara Alper in which Moïse performs her poem “the number.” Both works, in different ways, illustrate her resistance against a sexualized alterity through the interrogation of cultural memory and spirituality. As a black woman who accepts and identifies with the term “lesbian,” is politically moved by the word “queer,” and theoretically and artistically inspired by the term “pomosexual,” Moïse's work interweaves complex stories and histories that reveal language as a performative and political practice engaged in the creation of black subjects. Her performances illustrate, visually and linguistically, the tensions and slippages of negotiating a diasporic identity. Furthermore, she explores the differences that are created by and embedded in language and ethnicity to produce poems and performances that are infused with explorations of belonging, gendered identities, and sexuality. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

By examining the question of language in Haiti, this article aims at broadening the debate and dialogue among language policymakers and language rights advocates, scholars, researchers and educators about the effects of 'linguistic imperialism' (Phillipson 1992) on the development of Haitian Creole and its impact on Haitian children's educational experience. Drawing from theoretical approaches in history (James 1989 [1963]; Fouron 2010; Dubois 2012), linguistics (Calvet 1974; DeGraff 2001; Dejan 2006), language planning and language policy research (Blommaert 2006; Spolksy 2004), and education (Madhere 2010; Plaisir 2010; Shor 1992) has helped shape the scope of this analysis, while also garnering various critical insights from the field of oral literature. In sum, this work reflects an interdisciplinary effort that highlights the impact of linguistic and cultural agents and historical events as it also sheds light on the lived experiences of Haitians within the larger Haitian democratic project begun in 1791 (James 1989; Dupuy 1997; Dubois 2004). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A critical question that has recently surfaced in the discourse of reconstruction in Haiti is the role that the education system will have to play in creating new generations of educated citizens for a new post-earthquake Haitian society. Central to discussions about the educational system is the 'thorny' language question. Should the language of instruction in the school system continue to be French or should it be Haitian Creole? The present research note examines the relationship between French and Creole in Haiti since colonial times and the resulting linguistic ideologies that have developed over time. In addition, it reviews the various promising developments that have taken place in the educational system both before and after the earthquake, and ends with a discussion of future challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The following note is a brief discussion of the most recent developments in the language debate in Haiti. Our main objective is to raise awareness of the ongoing tensions between those that advocate for some type of bilingual Haitian society and those who passionately seek to empower Haitian Creole. These reflections were triggered by the availability of the first comprehensive linguistic, social and historical account of Haitian Creole, Spears and Joseph's (2010) The Haitian Creole language: history, structure, use, and education (Lexington Books) and the recent airing of these debates on Haitian media. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Among French-based creoles, Haitian Creole has the highest degree of standardization, with a written norm, Standard Haitian Creole (SHC), based on Portau-Prince monolinguals' speech. To evaluate the influence of SHC on regional varieties, we conducted, in and around Cap Haitien, a sociolinguistic study of Northern Haitian Creole (Capois). In addition to stereotypical features such as the possessive kin a + pronoun (vs. SHC pa + pronoun), we uncovered several Capois features still in widespread use in Northern Haiti. In this article, we focus on the most frequently occurring variable, the third person singular pronoun (3sg), which alternates between SHC li/l, and Capois i/y. We show that SHC li has yet to replace Capois i, which is preferred by a large proportion of community members. For both the rural and urban populations, this variable is conditioned by syntactic and phonological factors. Despite shared tendencies, urban speakers' lower rate of Capois variant use and stronger phonological conditioning may be due to their greater exposure to speakers from other areas of Haiti, and to closer contact with the standard. Although most speakers, especially older ones, recognized SHC's higher prestige, they evidenced more positive attitudes toward their own speech. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: There is limited information on depression in Haitians and this is partly attributable to the absence of culturally and linguistically adapted measures for depression. OBJECTIVE: To perform a psychometric evaluation of the Haitian-Creole version of the PHQ-9 administered to men who have sex with men (MSM) in the Republic of Haiti. DESIGN: This study uses a cross-sectional design and data are from the Integrated Behavioral and Biological HIV Survey (IBBS) for MSM in Haiti. PARTICIPANTS: Inclusion criteria required that participants be male, ≥ 18 years, report sexual relations with a male partner in the last 12 months, and lived in Haiti during the past 3 months. Respondent Driven Sampling was used for participant recruitment. MAIN MEASURES: A structured questionnaire was verbally administered in Haitian-Creole capturing information on sociodemographics, sexual behaviors, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) status and depressive symptomatology using the PHQ-9. Psychometric analyses of the translated PHQ-9 assessed unidimensionality, factor structure, reliability, construct validity, and differential item functioning (DIF) across subgroups (age, educational level, sexual orientation and HIV status). KEY RESULTS: In a study population of 1,028 MSM, the Haitian-Creole version of the PHQ-9 is unidimensional, has moderately high internal consistency reliability (α = 0.78), and shows evidence of construct validity where HIV-positive subjects have greater depression ( p = 0.002). There is no evidence of DIF across age, education, sexual orientation or HIV status. HIV-positive MSM are twice as likely to screen positive for moderately severe and severe depressive symptoms compared to their HIV-negative counterparts. CONCLUSIONS: There is strong evidence for the psychometric adequacy of the translated PHQ-9 screening tool as a measure of depression with MSM in Haiti. Future research is necessary to examine the predictive validity of depression for subsequent health behaviors or clinical outcomes among Haitian MSM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Michel-Rolph Trouillot’s scholarship examines the world economy in relation to structural alliances between state leaders and commodity traders. His work suggests that the majority of formerly enslaved agricultural producers in the Caribbean became a politically marginalized “reconstituted peasantry.” In Ti Dife Boule sou Istwa Ayiti, Trouillot employs narrative tools characteristic of oral storytelling and magical realism to analyze such relationships during the Haitian Revolution. The text, written in Haitian Creole, interjects on debates about the relationship between colonial economies and metropolitan governments, the historicity of uneven development, and the foundational rupture between the Haitian state and nation. This article argues that Trouillot selects Grenn Pwomennen, a true product of syncretism, an erudite scholar clothed in the uniform of Haiti’s ubiquitous peasant working class, to artfully demonstrate that the solution to Haiti’s challenges remains with its peasant classes. Published in 1977, within the context of his immigration and personal sense of responsibility for the Haiti he left behind, Ti Dife Boule sou Istwa Ayiti reveals itself to be an ideal text for civic education and politicization among Haitians who only understand Creole. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This article bears on three 'verb cognate' (VC) constructions attested in Haitian Creole, where the verb and a homonymous replica of the verb cooccur within the same clausal domain. In the first two constructions - VC1 and VC2 - the verb's cognate is crucially unstressed and supports further lexical material, while in the third construction - VC3, which subsumes the subcase known as Predicate Cleft - the verb's cognate bears primary stress and is reduced to a lexical head. Haitian VC constructions differ from so-called 'Cognate Object' constructions discussed for English and other languages by the strict-identity condition which - in Haitian - bears on the verb and its cognate, and by the arguably non 'nominal' categorial specification of the verb's cognate. We describe the morphosyntactic properties and interpretations of VC1, VC2 and VC3, and pro-pose a syntactic derivation for each construction. We argue that the Cognate Phrase in all three cases instantiates a VP modifier - an adverbial - rather than an argument, but that the 'cognateness' property should not be uniformly analysed across the three constructions: in VC1 and VC2, we argue that the verb's cognate is an expletive - a phonological filler whose function is to make a structural (head) position visible - while in VC3, we analyse it as a freely merged VP-modifier whose lexical identity with the verb triggers a contrastive-focus effect, which favours raising of the focused modifier to the clause periphery. Haitian verb cognates share some characteristics of 'reduplicative' structures as presented by Stolz et al. (2011), but they do not seem to comply with these authors' view of 'Total Reduplication'. Our results and assumptions are on the other hand consistent with Pereltsvaig's (1999a, b, 2002) claim that 'Cognateness', as such, has no relevance for syntactic theory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article offers some critical reflections on Womb-Words Thirsting, a solo performance by Haitian-American poet, actress, playwright, Lenelle Moïse. This work, which is “delivered, slam-style, from the gut” tackles issues of race, class, gender, immigration, religion and sexuality. I introduce the Kréyol term Rasanblé—a conscious process of gathering previously scattered selves for the sake of self-making to reveal the strategic ways Moïse expertly deploys her craft and her multiple identities to give herself full subjectivity and in the process pluralize notions of Haiti and Haitians in the diaspora. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The article discusses the languages used in Haiti during the Haitian Revolution of the late 18th century. By examining letters and a memoir written by the Haitian Revolutionary leader Toussaint Louverture, the author illustrates that Louverture wrote primarily in French and may have spoken Haitian creole only occasionally. The author also suggests that Haitian creole was more influenced by older and regional varieties of the French language than by African languages. The author suggests that historians haven't fully explored the use of different languages in Haiti during the 18th century. Languages used during this time included Haitian creole, French, and diverse African languages.

An interview with Jocelyne Trouillot, founder of AYIBBY (the Haitian national section of the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY), is presented. Trouillot discusses children's literature in Haiti and reveals that writing in Creole for children is a challenge as French is considered the prestigious languange. She notes the dropout rate in the country is high and many children do not reach fourth grade due to reading difficulties. She discusses the aftermath of the 2010 earthquake.

This article shows the results obtained in a field study carried out in Santiago, Cuba. Its objective is to show the role represented by Bantu languages and Haitian Creole in the acceleration of linguistic tendencies that came from the peninsular Spanish and influenced on the non standard Spanish spoken in the capital of the country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Haitian Creole the lexical item ki shows up when a subject (but not an object) undergoes operator movement in wh-questions, clefts, and relative clauses. We argue that ki is a phonological reflex of agreement between the complementizer and a wh-phrase. More specifically, the complementizer is spelled out as ki if all its features are checked off by a single goal. We demonstrate that this is accomplished only when the operator is a subject. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phonologically conditioned allomorphy is sometimes determined by universal marking conditions derived from low-ranked constraints, which is viewed as an effect of the emergence of the unmarked (TETU) in optimality theory. In this paper we present two case studies that make crucial use of allomorph selection as TETU but also of an additional property of the lexical representation of allomorphs, namely lexical ordering of allomorphs. The first case is the puzzling selection of definite marker in Haitian Creole (analyzed as an instance of anti-markedness in previous OT works), which yields to an appropriate analysis in terms of allomorph ordering. In the second case study, gender allomorph selection in Catalan, we propose a constraint Respect that ensures compliance with idiosyncratic lexical specifications, which further interacts with allomorph selection. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

A letter to the editor is presented in response to the article "Reliability and validity of the Haitian Creole PHQ-9" by Linda G. Marc, Whitney R. Henderson, Astrid Desrosiers, Marcia A. Testa, Samuel E. Jean and Eniko Edit Akom published in the same issue.