Bonjou! Learn to Speak Haitian Creole

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Showing posts with label nèg is not the N word. Show all posts
Showing posts with label nèg is not the N word. Show all posts

Of all the Creole expression made with word nèg, is it possible that one of them is very denigrating. I don't want to use the wrong one.

I think some English speakers might think that there's a connection with the denigrating N word and the word Nèg in Haitian Creole.  Or... some people just want to be politically correct.
I haven't seen the Haitian Creole word nèg used in a damning way such as the N word.
The word nèg might translate man (black skin, light skin, or caucasian), black man, or negro.  And, it is politically correct in Haiti.

Some of the expressions I can think of (which are used in everyday conversation) are the following:
If you can think of more expression using the H. creole word nèg, please add to the comment section.  Thanks.
Grannèg → big shot, rich man
Nèg lespri → smart people with lots of knowledge
Nèg save → same as nèg lespri
Gwo nèg → big guy, brawny, big boned
Bon nèg → good (honest) man (just as move nèg means bad (not trustworthy) man
Neg sòt → stupid fellow
Nèg lakay (nèg natifnatal) → native
Nèg ginen → same as nèg natifnatal
Nèg pa’m → my pal, my buddy, my chum
Nèg mawon → runaway negro
Nèg mòn → country man
Nèg fèy same as nèg mòn, also people who act clumsily in public
Nèg kannay → an older man who's "robbing the cradle", acting much younger than he looks, dating a much younger person
Nèg vini → a man new to his environment, who hasn't gotten accustomed to his surroundings yet, who's not yet popular in his circle.
etc...

Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words

Mwen we yon neg ap mache - I see a black man walking...?

No.
Nèg (in Creole) does not necessarily mean black man.

Mwen wè yon nèg k'ap mache...
I see a man walking.

black mannèg nwa, mesye nwa
white mannèg blan, mesye blan

haitian men usually call themselves neg, but is it offensive when foreigners use that word while addressing haitian?

Question taken from comments from 8/17/2011  10:01 AM post.

No, it's not.
Although the Haitian Creole word "nèg" literally comes from the French "nègre" which means "black or negro", it is used as a general term for "man" in Haitian Creole.

So "nèg" could be a white or black man in Haitian Creole.

Sometimes, you will hear Haitians say: "Yon nèg blan" which means "a white man".

Haitians will use "nèg" to mean "a friend, a comrade, a confidant, a guy".


You will often hear the following terms:

nèg pa m → my buddy, my pal

nèg save → a clever, smart, or polished individual

nèg sòt → someone who's not so smart

nèg mòn → a country boy, a hillbilly

nèg fèy → people with no etiquette

nèg ginen → people (especially of African origin) who don't forget where they came from, remain true to their roots.

The feminine equivalent of "nèg" is "nègès". "nègès" really means "a beautiful native
Did that help?

Isn't the term "neg blan" an oxymoron?

Literally, it is. Just like a cold hotdog :)

nèg blan → white man (in Haitian Creole terms)
nèg nwa → black man (in Haitian Creole terms)

Unlike French, nèg, in Haitian Creole, generally means man.

You know, the majority of the Haitian population is black (I would say about 95%). That may be why a nèg is considered a man in general, not a black man. So, feel free to use the term in Haitian Creole without worrying that you'll offend someone.

Some examples:

Ou se yon nèg serye.
You are a sincere person.

Nèg sa pa gen "non" nan bouch li.
This guy doesn't know how to say no.

Mwen marye ak yon bon nèg.
I married a good man.

So you are saying I can call a white man "yon neg" too?

Yes.  Nèg is Haitian Creole for man.

Why did you use "nèg" to translate 'man'? #1.Doesn't "man" translate as "mesye"? and #2. Isn't 'nèg' sort if a denigrating word?

Nèg is not a negative word in Haitian Creole. The female equivalent is ‘nègès’.

There are many ways to translate the word  ‘man’ in Creole:
Man → mesye, gason, nonm, nèg, mouche, frewo, konpè, konfrè
Young man → jennjan, jenngason, jennonm,
Boy →gason, tigason, tibray

I might as well give you the many ways to translate the word ‘woman’ in Creole:
Woman → fanm, nègès, fi, sò, dam, madanm, kòmè
Young woman →demwazèl, matmwazèl, dam, jennfi, jennfanm, jenndam
Girl→ fi, tifi