Bonswa kouman ou ye?
papòt (or pa pòt) → doorstep, door's entrance, doorway, threshold
"S'on boul chifon sal, repousan, koulè sak pou siye pye devan papòt legliz la."
"It's a dirty repulsive rag, the color of sack cloth to wipe our steps at the church entrance". (something like that)
"Pase m yon kou foli"
Slap me with a strike of madness (literally)
Make me Crazy (possible meaning)
This sounds like someone who had cursed another with a curse (of madness).
The meaning may be lost in the English translation, but here's a legend that might help you understand the true meaning of this phrase.
There's a legend in Haiti which says you should not let a mad person hit or strike you. If this happens, you will also become mad.
"Pase m yon kou foli" also has a connotation of love and passion.
Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words
papòt (or pa pòt) → doorstep, door's entrance, doorway, threshold
"S'on boul chifon sal, repousan, koulè sak pou siye pye devan papòt legliz la."
"It's a dirty repulsive rag, the color of sack cloth to wipe our steps at the church entrance". (something like that)
"Pase m yon kou foli"
Slap me with a strike of madness (literally)
Make me Crazy (possible meaning)
This sounds like someone who had cursed another with a curse (of madness).
The meaning may be lost in the English translation, but here's a legend that might help you understand the true meaning of this phrase.
There's a legend in Haiti which says you should not let a mad person hit or strike you. If this happens, you will also become mad.
"Pase m yon kou foli" also has a connotation of love and passion.
Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words
M anfòm, m sòt vizite New York pou yon maraton NGO Ayiti. Osi, m achte "Nan Savann Dezole," men li poko rive.
ReplyDeleteTrè byen! Sanble ou te byen amize ou. Mwen kontan tande sa.
DeleteMwen espere ou p'ap jwenn "Nan Savann Dezole" twò difisil pou li :)
Confusing vocabulary: "odfòm," "kedepi," and "gigote"
ReplyDelete"Chapo odfòm. Vès kedepi. Parapli nwa. (elatriye, pg 21)"
"Manman m fè fèt, gigote gwo lakontantman lè m rantre nan peyi a. (pg 17)"
Chapo odfòm is a type of round straw hat with narrow brim and no "frills" on the brim.
Deleteparapli nwa → a black umbrella
gigote (from French "gigoter") → to move, to agitate, to wriggle, to squirm.
It's written as "jigote" in Creole.
Manman m fè fèt, gigote lakontantman lè m rantre nan peyi a.
My mother had a celebration, motivating happiness/gladness when I came/returned to the country.
I am not familiar with the word "kedèpi". The author seems to talk about a style of jacket or coat by saying vès kedèpi. vès is Creole for vest