Sunday, January 1, 2012

A Pye Nou Ye! (Happy New Year)?

No, not at all.

A pye nou ye, We are on foot, may be considered a pun.  It is a Haitian Creole phrase which sounds like the English new year greeting: Happy New Year.  When you say this phrase in Creole, English speakers (who dosen't know Creole) hear it in English.

My non-English speaking grandmother, Manmansousoule, used to do that all the time.  Every new year's day she was proud to have that one Creole conversation with her English speaking African-American neighbors.  She'd say "A pye nou ye!" and the neighbors would respond "Happy New Year to you too!".

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