One of the
biggest fears of an immigrant parent is having their kids grow up in foreign
surroundings, assimilate into the new culture and completely abandon the
culture and language of their native country. Haitian parents are no exception.
I remember admonishments of "Timoun
yo oblije aprann pale Kreyòl (the kids need to learn to speak
creole)" and "Poukisa ou pa ka
di sa nan Français (why can't you say that in French)".
When I was growing up, grann mwen (my grandmother) could give you a few words in English and could understand a few more, but was very self conscious about her accent so it was either French or Creole when speaking with her. Both of my parents are fluent in English, French, Creole, and Spanish (not to brag but you can throw in a little Greek and Latin too) so comprehension/communication wasn't an issue with them. For them it was a matter of pride.
When I was growing up, grann mwen (my grandmother) could give you a few words in English and could understand a few more, but was very self conscious about her accent so it was either French or Creole when speaking with her. Both of my parents are fluent in English, French, Creole, and Spanish (not to brag but you can throw in a little Greek and Latin too) so comprehension/communication wasn't an issue with them. For them it was a matter of pride.
