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Thursday, April 17, 2014

Lè yo rele mwen “blan” an Ayiti

This post is written by Scott. 

 
Bonjou mesyedam, lasosyete d Ayiti.

Jodiya mwen vle diskite yon mo mwen tande trè souvan an Ayiti – “blan.” Lè m flannen nan santye andeyò, lè m achte pwovizyon nan mache, lè m fè dekabès, lè m ap rele “Anmwey !” aprè pikan pike gwo zotèy mwen, mwen tande moun di “Blan.” E se pa yon sèl fason pou yo di l. Moun ka rele l, moun ka chwichwi l, moun ka tchwipe l, e moun ka salye avè l ak tout politès. Kelkeswa ka a, mwen konn tande l.

Sa k fè moun di sa alantou mwen tout tan? Oke chè lektè, m ap mete sekre rèd pa m nan lari. Mwen menm, mwen gen po blan, je vèt, mwen fèt lòtbòdlo. Donk, an Ayiti moun konn rele mwen "blan." E jodiya, mwen ta vle pataje yon ti tranch esperyans mwen genyen ak mo sa a nan bèl peyi nou.

Bon, an palan de esperyans pa m, mwen ka fè de (2) kan moun ki konn rele mwen "blan."

            Premyeman, gen moun ki rele mwen "blan" premye fwa yo wè mwen paske yo poko konnen kijan mwen rele, yo wè mwen se yon etranje, e san touche gwo istwa kolonyal, se nan jan sa nou konn kalifye moun konsa an Ayiti. Aprè sa nou koze, nou bay blag, nou mande youn lòt anpil kesyon. Mwen aprann konbyen sè ak frè yo genyen, e mwen di yo manman mwen byen, menm si sante li pa pafè. Mwen esplike kòman mwen travay nan yon lekòl. Nou pataje esperyans nou ak lide nou sou sistèm edikasyon, e nou diskite ki wòl kominote entènasyonal la ak dyaspora a ka genyen nan zafè sa yo. Kòm mwen se yon Kreyolis, souvan nou pale sou wòl lang kreyòl ak lang franse nan sosyete a tou.

Pale nou fin pale youn ak lòt, mwen pa "blan" ankò, mwen se “zanmi,” “Msye Scott,” ou “Tiscot.” Men wi, gen kèk moun ki konn rele m “blan” toujou. Mwen di yo “Se pa konsa fanmi mwen lòtbo konn rele m, non papa!” (gen kèk ti grenn moun ki parèt sezi. "Non ? Manman w pa rele ou blan ?" Adje.) E si nou rive fini koze a nèt, mwen pa vle moun ki konnen mwen byen rele mwen "blan" paske se kòmsi nou ka bliye tout lòt karatèristik, lefèt ke nou chak gen pwòp istwa ak rèv nou, e se sèlman koulè ki enpòtan. Aprè mwen di sa, moun konn reponn "Tout moun se moun. Tout moun gen menm valè." Pifò Ayisyen konprann sa byen. Anfèt, jeneralman isit la moun konprann sa pi byen pase lòt kote sou latè, e se pou sa mwen renmen pale avèk Ayisyen e mwen gen anpil zanmi Ayisyen.

            Gen yon dezyèm gwoup moun ki konn rele mwen blan tou. Men okonmansman yo pa rele mwen blan. Non, odebi se “Monsieur Scott, bienvenue en Haïti. Comment allez-vous?” Tre janti, non? Men, sa pa dire twòp tan. Menmsi mwen eseye mare lang mwen, mwen gen tandans antre bouch mwen nan koze EPT (Edikasayon Pou Toutmoun) oubyen sou valè lang Kreyòl Ayisyen an, e kòman m ap etidye kilti ak istwa d Ayiti. Epitou, mwen ka fè wè nan de tan twa mouvman yo konstate mwen pa rich. Donk, mwen pa rich, mwen pa sòt. Kisa yo ka fè ak yon etranje ki pa ni sòt ni rich ?

            Bridsoukou, se pa « Bienvenue Monsieur Scott » ankò. Bridsoukou, se yon blan mwen ye. Yon etranje, yon moun ki sòt yon lòt kote. Yo pale ak zanmi yo devan mwen e yo di "Kominote entènasyonal la ap toujou mete tèt yo nan zafè nou." Yo pase m nan tenten, yo rele mwen “yon blan fou.” Yo pa reponn lè mwen pale ak yo an kreyòl. Mezanmi, sa preske fin dekouraje mwen nèt.

Bon, san fè okenn konklizyon, mwen ka kondanse esperyans mwen ak mo “blan” an konsa:

Pou pifò moun an Ayiti, plis mwen pale kreyòl, plis mwen fè efò pou konprann sosyete Ayiti, e plis nou di ansanm ke yon bon edikasyon se yon dwa pou tout timoun, kèlkeswa koulè, kèlkeswa nasyonalite, kèlkeswa lang, e kèlkeswa klas, plis yo konn ban mwen yon non pase jis “blan.”

Men pou yon dezyèm ti gwoup, dotan mwen pale sou lide sila yo, dotan yo konn rele mwen “blan.” Men mwen santi gwoup sa a sèvi ak mo a nan yon lòt fason. Genlè se pa sèlman yon jan pou kalifye mwen, men se yon metòd pou fè m santi m kòm yon moun deyò, pou betize mwen, e, dabò, pou fè mwen fèmen bouch mwen ak tout koze Edikasyon Pou Toutmoun sa a.

Mwen pa ka di mwen konprann tout bagay nan sosyete Ayisyen an, e donk jodiya m ap sèlman pataje esperyans mwen  ak nou. Epi, si nou vle, nou ka eksplike m kisa li siyifye.

-pa Scott

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Wednesday, April 16, 2014

Mési anpil for all your speedy responses, Mandaly! Now another question. How come "You" plural is "Nou" like the Haitian Creole "We" instead of "Vou" or something like that? Won't this be confusing? Also, do you have any audio lessons for these pronouns? I can't even try to imagine what these contractions sound like, "L, N, and Y" for "Li, Nou, and Yo." I'm starting to run into a bit of challenge from not hearing as I read. Xoxoxo

Usually if the word is within context, you will not be confused.

If I come onto a group of people and I want to say hello, I’d say: Kouman nou ye mezanmi? How are you all doing? (Actually that’s how I usually greet a group of people)

Or in a speech, the speaker might say to the audience.

Nou pa dwe bay legen.  Nou pa dwe fè bak.  Se pou nou kenbe la. Se pou nou vanse douvan. – You must not give up. You must not back down.  You must hang in there.  You must move forward.
It’s easy to see that “nou”, in both examples above, translates as plural “you” here?
 
And if both of us were having a conversation, and I said:
Kisa pou nou fè menm?So what should we do?
Here, we know that “nou” translates “we”.

So it’s all in the context.

And regarding listening exercises, the more you listen to all types of conversations the more your ears will be trained and eventually be comfortable in understanding and hearing the pronouns whether they’re contracted or not.
 
Kenbe la.

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what does it mean to "fe sisisy" in hcreole? btw i probably spelled it wrong! thanks?

Do you mean fè lasisin, or is it something else?  Fè lasisin – taunt, to tease someone with food

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Mandaly. From what I have been reading about Ayiti and alcohol; it seems to indicate that the Creoles there do not drink strong drink. The articles imply that they drink milder drinks on the average. I am talking about common Creole folk. Pa vre? Also, does Ayiti brew a national beer or a national hard liqueur such as vodka, whiskey or bourbon? I am trying to get my travel plans in order. Mesi bokou


We have a few alcoholic beverages that are native to Haiti in addition to some homemade cocktails.  Kleren (Clairin) may be the strongest:

Kleren (clairin) – Strong alcoholic drink distilled from sugar canes.

Wonm Babankou (rhum Barbancourt) – Haitian rum

Prestij (Prestige) – Haitian Beer

Kremas (Cremas) – Creamed coconut alcoholic beverage

Like (liqueur) – red alcoholic beverage primarily flavored with beets

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Mon vlé mandé an kwésyon...es moun ayisien sevi pawol-la "zot"? adan dominik,gwadloup, st.lisi e matnik we use that when talking to a group of people. Pa egzanp...zot pa ka manjé (are you all not eating). Also in dominica we use "sa" to able/can. For example...mon pa sa kopwann kwéyòl pyes (I can not understand creole at all) .Curious if these are used in haiti. Mési anchay

1.
Enpe moun te konn itilize “zòt” lontan lontan.  Men kounye a, depi alfabetizasyon Kreyòl la, yo pa itilize l fasil ankò. Kounye a, depi kèk tan, nou itilize “nou” nan plas “zòt”.

Pa egzanp, nou di:
Kòman nou ye? (to a group of people)
How are you all doing?

Ou kapab jwenn mo “zòt” la nan liv ki te ekri lontan ak nan ansyen bib Kreyòl Aysiyen an
 

2.
WI, nou itilize “sa” pou nou di “kapab” (nan fraz negatif).
Pa egzanp:
M tonbe m pa sa leve. – I’ve fallen I can’t get up.
M pa sa konpran anyen nan sa w’ap di. – I can’t understand anything that you’re saying.
Yo tèlman sezi yo pa sa pale. – They are se shocked they can’t talk.
…..
3.
Lòt bagay:
Nou pa itilize aksan sou “e” paske nan lang Kreyòl la nou pa genyen prononsyasyon “e” Franse a.
Pa egzanp:
Nou di rele nan plas rélé
Nou di pale nan plas palé
Etc…


Mwen konprann Kreyòl ou, eske ou konprann Kreyòl mwen ?

 

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Tuesday, April 15, 2014

How can I use the expression SE PA PALE like you did in the email. I don’t get it .do you a couple of example. mesi


Se pa pale  - it goes without saying,  needless to say, there’s no doubt, unquestionably, for sure

1. Timoun alèkile pa respekte paran yo. Sa ki rich yo menm se pa pale, yo pi mal. - Kids these days do not respect their parents.  The wealthy ones, for sure, are the worst.

2. Mina te entelijan anpil.  Li te maton nan chimi, biyoloji, syans natirèl yo, etc...  Matematik menm se pa pale, nanpwen yon pwoblèm matematik li pa t ka rezoud. - Mina was very smart.  She was good with chemistry, biology, the natural sciences, etc… As for math, that’s for sure, there wasn’t a math problem that she couldn’t solve.

3. Misye te lage nan plezi nèt.  Li te nan nayklib chak swa.  Li pa’t refize dwòg.  Li t’ap depanse adwat agoch. Kanta pou fanm menm, se pa pale, chak swa li te kouche ak youn diferan. – He was living a life of pleasure. He was at the nightclubs every night.  He didn’t refuse drugs.  He was spending money left and right.  As for women, needless to say, he slept with a different one each night.

 

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panama m tonbe sa ki deye ranmase l pou mwen. what is panama?

What would profite translate here “Tigaso an te byen profit pendan l te avek nou la”

Pwofite – to seize to occasion, take the opportunity

Ti gason an te “byen” pwofite pandan l te avèk nou - The boy thrived “well” while he was with us
 
 

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Bonjou, Mandaly! I've completed up to Lesson 12 and I'm about to start Lesson 13 after I review all my notes and things from Lessons 1-12. And guess what? I took my first test (Definite Articles) and got 100%! M KONTAN!!! ……..

"Bonjou, Mandaly! I've completed up to Lesson 12 and I'm about to
start Lesson 13 after I review all my notes and things from Lessons 1-12. And
guess what? I took my first test (Definite Articles) and at 100%! M KONTAN!!!
^_^ Right now I'm reviewing the practice portion of the notes I took from your
video lessons about the Singular Definite Articles. Well, here's my question.
For "The book is in the box" to be translated as "Liv la nan bwat la." Why is
that? I don't understand what "NAN" means here. I Only know "NAN" to be one of
the Haitian Creole forms of "THE" but....that wouldn't make sense in this
sentence. Does this word mean something else now?"


Answer:

Awesome.  Mwen kontan deske ou kontan :)

"nan", here, is the preposition "in", "inside"

liv la      | nan  | bwat la
the book | in    | the box
The book is in the box.

Here is another example
kouto a   | nan | gode a
the knife | in   | the cup
The knife is in the cup.

If you were to have "nan" as a definite article and "nan" as preposition, you would write down both.
example:
Madanm nan |  nan |  chanm nan
The woman   | in     | the room
The woman is in the room.





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Mesye bonjou or madan bonjou?

Larèn nan pa konprann. Li mande plis esplikasyon mezanmi :)

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mache prese pa domi san sou pe

This question is about fek and soti. I see that you use it for past tenses, you wrote ‘m fek pale ave l’ – ‘I just spoke to her’. Would it make sense to add ‘te’ to that sentence: ‘m fek te pale ave l’ or is it ‘m te fek pale ave l? would it mean the same thing then? Mesi


Fèk and sòti, in this case, will indicate an event that happened a short while ago, very recently, not too long ago

FYI: Some people may say fèk, fenk,fèrank, or fenrank

Some people may say sòti or sot

And sometimes they may use fèk sot together

Egzanp:

1. M fèk wè papa w. – I just saw your dad (not too long ago)

2. M sot benyen, se pousa cheve mouye konsa. – I just showered that’s why my hair is so wet.

3. Nou pa grangou. Nou fenk sot manje. – We’re not hungry. We just ate. (a short while ago)

 

If you do add “te”, the  Haitian Creole past tense determiner, then it will make the difference between past tense or present perfect and past perfect.

4. M fèk pale avè l – I just spoke to her. OR I’ve just spoken to her

5. M te fèk pale avè l – I had just spoken to her.

It’ll make more sense in the next sentence:

6. Nou te fèk fin manje ansanm lè lapolis te parèt douvan pòt la. - We had just finished eating together when the police showed up at the front door.

You could not have said: Nou fèk fin manje ansanm lè ….

 

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Ki denye mo ou lan sa? What’s “lan sa”?


lan sa – (in this literally), on the subject, on the matter

Ki denye mo ou lan sa?”

What’s your last word in this? literalman

What are your thoughts?

What’s your perspective?

What’s your opinion on this?

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Friday, April 11, 2014

Do you know why a humming bird is called WANGANEGES in Creole? I was under the impression the word WANGA has to do with voodoo.

Yes, the name wanganègès is made up of two common words in Haitian Creole.

wanga - sorcery, magic spell, luck; nègès – black woman

Besides getting praise for its beauty and radiance the wanganègès has been known to be used as love potion to gain a woman’s affection. Specifically a man may kill the bird, burn it and concoct a powder mixture with the ashes. He would carry the powder in his handkerchief.
Kolibri, another type of wanganègès, will also be translated as hummingbird.

Have you heard the song about a humming bird Kolibri by Ticorn? On Youtube: http://youtu.be/v3yVPiMj2Fw

 

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Mandaly. Ki jan ou di an Kreyol Ayisyen a mixed group of boys and girls? Is it as in Spanish; the masculine form "los muchachos" / "gason yo"? Mesi bokou.


We say mesyedam for mixed group of males and females.

How’s your trip to Haiti coming along? I was thinking of you and thought you had left already :)

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