Kreole or French?

 by Moise Anilus

Kreole or French?




Michel Frederic DeGraff is a Haitian professor of linguistics, creolist, and founder of the Haitian
Creole Academy at MIT, and the director of the MIT-Haiti Initiative, whose latest project has
been revolutionizing education in Haiti by using Creole in the classroom instead of French. "The
The basic premise of our initiative," DeGraff explains, "is that using Kreyòl for Haitian education is essential to improving quality and access to education for all." 

While I applaud Professor DeGraff's scholarship and his ongoing efforts to formalize the Creole
language for linguistic coherence and autonomy, Creole is far from an autonomous language
with adequate grammatical morphemes consistent with global languages like English and
Spanish. It is primarily a dialect of French fundamentally intertwined with its syntax and
pragmatics. Consequently, in its current state, Kreole needs to have the linguistic verbiage to correspond
appropriately with the emergence of globalization, which, in part, promotes, necessitates, and
facilitates global interactions while navigating labor markets.

Using Creole as the primary language for Haitian education could be a significant disservice to
Haitian students and put them at a linguistic disadvantage on the global stage. Instead, The
MIT-Haiti Initiative program should push for a multi-language integration in the classroom
designed for students to become proficient in three of the most spoken languages in the world:
English, French, and Spanish. Haitian students are naturally receptive multilingualists: they have
a considerable linguistic advantage because they are already familiar with the usage of these
three languages. Fluency in all three languages would put Haitian students at the forefront of the
global economy and would be in demand for their multilingual skills.

The MIT-Haiti Initiative program must continue emphasizing Creole's historical and cultural
significance and advocate for its full recognition. However, it is equally essential to be mindful
of the language's inherent lack of verbalization to address the global economic concepts of
globalization.

Moise Anilus is an academic consultant, standardized test instructor, and president of Ethno Ivyleague Academy. He has written both academically and creatively and believes strongly in community development through the power of education. As a researcher, his academic work primarily focuses on examining the experiences of Haitian students in prestigious colleges and universities.

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