Avan m antre nan diskisyon, m ap di konpatriyòt Marc-Arthur Pierre-Louis yon gwo mèsi nan kad kesyon l te poze m sou fowòm ayisyen sou de diksyonè yo, e ki te enspire m ekri atik sa a.

Nan dènye gwo pwojè rechèch (soti 1999 pou rive 2007) pou te abouti a diksyonè Indiana University Creole Institute pibliye a,  Haitian Creole-English Bilingual Dictionary (2007) nou seleksyone diksyonè profesè Bryant Freeman nan (Haitian-English Dictionary, University of Kansas) kòm youn nan dokiman nan kad bibliyografi pwojè a ekip la te dwe etidye. Nou chak (manm ekip) te gen travay espesyal pa nou tou nan gwo pwojè sa. Ak esperyans mwen nan rechèch sou kreyòl Ayisyen, mwen ka pale de «a» jiska «z» sou sijè a pou pote tout eklèsisman posib, tout sa yon moun ta vle konnen ou ta bezwen konnen. Donk se rezon sa a ki fè m di «pa re-envante wou». Men li ta pi bon pou n vini ak tout kesyon posib pito dekwa pou n ta jwenn eklèsisman sou kèk travay rechèch ki fèt deja. Diksyonè Indiana University pibliye a (2007) sou direksyon pwofesè Albert Valdman, se yon rechèch 7 ane  (san souf), epi yon ekip espesyalis (etidyan nan Etid Avanse an Lengwistik Fransè, blan kou Ayisyen kontribye ladan). Donk pa gen konparezon ak pa Bryant Freeman lan (nan nivo sa a) men, n ap bay Freeman kredi li merite tou, an tèm pi gwo dokiman leksik li pwodui k ap resanse mo tanzantan nan lang kreyòl la. Nan kritik mwen sou diksyonè Freeman nan, mwen mansyone pwoblèm «kontèks». Sa enpòtan nan kad rechèch leksikal byenke msye (Freeman) vini ak tradiksyon mo /espresyon (nan lang anglè), men an majorite gen yon seri mo ki merite ilistre  (kijan yo kapab itilize nan fraz). Sa pa fèt.

Kòm chèrchè, ekriven, pwofesè lang etranje … m ap viv Etazini depi (fevriye) 1976 men sa pa vle pou otan mwen pa konn sa k ap pase Ayiti. O nivo rechèch kreyòl Ayiti, nou ka di : sa pa egziste menm. Se inivèsite aletranje k ap fè vrè rechèch yo, apa kèk atik Yves Dejean ekri (etan l Ayiti) men kilès Dejean ye? Dejean se yon pwodui Indiana University  (Ph.D, 1977 kote Valdman te direktè tèz li; youn nan meyè elèv Valdman) ki retounen al viv Ayiti. Pa gen oken inivèsite Ayiti k ap pibliye rechèch tout bon sou kreyòl. Okontrè, (defen) pwofesè Pierre Vernet etone lè profesè Bryant Freeman al kontakte l Ayiti pou te montre bazdone kreyol li nan University of Kansas (sa l resanse) ... Lè m fè profesè Valman rekòmandasyon tout yon lis mo nan diksyonè Freeman nan ki ki te gen pou analize nan kad pwojè rechèch Indiana University a, mwen di l tou fò gen rechèch ki dwe fèt Ayiti sou teren an pou teste mo sa yo (ki te nan lis la). Se pa paske yon moun jis kreyolize yon mo epi pou konn majorite moun nan popilasyon an konnen sa l vle di; epi mo moun ap envante tou ki rele newolojis. Pafwa yon ‘newololis’ (tankou mo «zenglendo», fraz kouwè «rache manyòk li») kapab pase nan diskou popilasyon an, men fò laprès pale ta mete anfaz sou li (kote popilasyon an tande l tanzantan, zorèy yo vin abitye avè l).

Youn nan ti diskisyon ki ouvri deba sou kèk fowòm ayisyen, ta gen pou wè ak varyant (pwononsiyasyon yon mo selon rejyon, ou pi presizeman, «varyant dyalektal» (nan etid sou «dyalektoloji»). N ap jwenn yon egzanp ak mo «tchipe» si n gade nan paj 699 diksyonè 2007 Indiana University) [tchwip, twipe, tuipe, tuip, kwipe, kuipe]. Donk se fason yo ta di yon mo a selon kèk zòn. Fò n di tou pa gen okenn afè konfli  la a (nan varyasyon mo a kòm egzanp n ap jwenn konsa anndan diksyonè a). Mwen menm, kòm natifnatal, mwen di «tchipe»; petèt yon Kapwa, yon moun nan yon lòt rejyon Ayiti, yon Pòtoprensyen ta itilize youn nan varyant yo (twipe, tuipe, kwipe…) men se toujou menm semantik (sans ou siyifikasyon mo a). Pou kèk moun ki pa gen yon nosyon lengwistik, se nòmal pou yo wè  yo ta yon ti jan twouble nan yon sans. E an menm tan tou, si nou vle konnen, donk fò n eseye tcheke espesyalis sou sa. An menm tan, fòk mwen di se pa mwen menm ki te an chaj revizyon pwojè final diksyonè Inivèsite Indiana  a, paske m te vin kite inivèsite a apre yon sèten tan. Gen desizyon tou se kapab kòlèg ayisyen yo ki te deside sou sa (an tèm ki mo ki ta pase kòm mo prensipal, kilès ki ta pase kòm varyant yon mo). Donk, nan pwòp diksyonè m ap ekri, m va pran nòt de sa. Ann mete nan tèt nou tou, toujou gen plizyè edisyon yon diksyonè, e nou ka wè Freeman sou senkyèm edisyon l jodiya. Travay sou diksyonè, se youn ki mande pase men ladan l tanzantan, e se rezon sa a (yon revizyon konplè) nou ka wè nan yon edisyon resan nenpòt diksyonè.

Konsantrasyon mwen aktyèlman, se konplete pi gwo diksyonè medikal bileng (English-Haitian Creole-English Dictionary of Medical Terminologies). ), yon pwojè mwen prèt pou fin acheve. Kòm mwen di  deja, si yon moun pa janm etidye lengwistik, l ap wè se nan yon lòt mond li ye. Men moun ki edidye lengwistik tout bon, l ap di menm sa mwen di  la a. Fò m di tou, lengwistik se yon chan ki vas. Se pa paske yon moun prezante yon tèz doktora an lengwistik pou panse moun sa a konn tout bagay nan chan sa a. Non! Se tankou lamedsin; chak medsen gen yon espesyalite, men tout medsen gen yon konesans jeneral de lamedsin. Se rezon sa a lè n ale lopital yon doktè kapab refere nou a yon espesyalis. Se menm bagay pou lengwistik tou.

Nan kad rechèch, espesyalis nan lang lan fè rechèch nan popilasyon an (pa egzanp envestigasyon atravè entèvyou ak popilasyon an pou wè sa yo panse de tèl, tèl mo /nan ki kontèks tèl ou tèl mo ou espresyon ta itilize). Wi, nou ka di: popilasyon an patisipe tou (nan sa nou ka rele rechèch sou teren an). Pa egzanp, nou te mansyone mo tchipe nan kad varyant; donk la a, nou vin dakò sou «varyasyon» an (fason natifnatal kapab pwononse menm mo, selon rejyon yo ka soti menm sans mo sa a pa chanje pou otan). Nan rechèch sou teren an, nou poze plizyè moun kesyon e nan plizyè andwa tou. Se egzatteman sa nou fè, kote n al nan plizyè zòn pou envestige. Nou te ka jis fè jès la epi n mande natifnatal la : «kijan ou rele sa an kreyòl?». Epi nou pran nòt. Nan etid lengwistik, sa enpòtan pou fè, men an menm tan tou fò n ta mande moun yo: nan ki zòn yo soti e menm kan yo ta soti nan yon zòn done, si yo vin rete Pòtoprens (nan kapital la) pandan yon sèten tan, dyalèk Pòtoprensyen (pale patikilye) yo kapab enfliyanse yo. Donk pou evite sa, ann di: nou pral ankete Okap, Okay, Jeremi, Plato Santral elatriye pou n ranmase done epi analize yo an gwo pou n wè ki rezilta nou jwenn.

Donk li enpòtan sou fowòm ayisyen yo pou n konnen «kilès ki kilès», ki travay «x», «y» fè deja nan pwòp domèn li, referans ak kilès li travay deja (trè enpòtan)  avan l rele tèt li «ekspè» sesi sela selaba. Nou kwè se yon bagay enpòtan, san sa n ap kontinye pran nan blòf ayisyen. Se rezon ki fè m pibliye atravè pi gwo sit rechèch sou kreyòl www.potomitan.info kote moun jwenn tout referans sou sa m di pou pote tout eklèsisman posib nan rechèch sou kreyòl.  Tout dokiman sa yo resanse deja nan bibliyografi mwen pibliye an 2003 a (An annotated bibliography On Haitian Creole).

Pou fè yon ti retou sou varyant, nou konstate pifò Ayisyen ta di tchipe. Donk nan klasman mo yo, nou ta dwe jwenn tchipe (kòm ‘mo prensipal’). Si yon mo ta gen yon ‘varyant’ (riral ou iben), varyant yo ta sipoze parèt ant parantèz. Egzanp: chodyè (chòdyè). Nou ajoute varyant riral la, men sa pa vle di pou otan (o nivo sosyolengwistik) li pral prime (ou enfliyanse) mòd pale majorite moun milye iben an ou menm milye riral. Okontrè, anpil mo ki ta konsidere varyant riral, nou ta konstate ke yo sou wout disparèt pito. Poukisa? Byen senp: gen yon enfliyans laprès pale kote tout moun tande radyo, kèlkeswa kote moun nan ta ye Ayiti. Donk peyizan an (ke yo konn ap akize de «Ti Jozèf», «gwo soulye» (anpil fwa) sanse lage mòd pale manman l, papa l, grannn li, granpapa l … te konn kenbe (an referans a varyant riral) oubyen sa yo rele tou «gwo kreyòl» ou «kreyòl rèk» vs. «kreyòl swa» (ki ta parèt aseptab pa tout kouch sosyal, e an menm tan, yon varyant nou ta jwenn plis nan ‘milye iben’). Mwen envite nou li yon ti lòsyè sou sa nan yon rechèch profesè Albert Valman te envite m prezante nan konferans HSA (Haitian Studies Association) nan University of Virginia. Klike sou “A hidden norm in the standardization process of Haitian Creole that would be acceptable by the whole Haitian population and how to manage it”. (E. W. Védrine).

Pou fini, men yon ti kòmantè pwofesè A. Valdman sou 2 diksyonè ki pibliye sou kreyòl ayisyen:

"...Given the limited resources at his disposal, the linguistic tools Védrine has produced are noteworthy, in particular, his Dictionary of Haitian Creole Verbs  with phrases and idioms. It is a very useful resource for linguists, translators, and learners of the language. With regard to its originality and overall quality, I would rank it as the best work on the vocabulary of the language and right next to Freeman and Laguerre's Haitian-English Dictionary and our own somewhat dated Haitian Creole - English - French Dictionary. The high quality of the work is reflected by its having been deemed worthy of review in the prestigious Journal of Pidgin and Creole Languages ..." --- Albert Valdman, Rudy Professor of French, Italian and Linguistics Indiana University-Bloomington.

E. W. Védrine Publications & Online Creole Publishers
evedrine@hotmail.com, e_vedrine@yahoo.com

   

A look at 2 great dictionaries on Haitian Creole:

 Haitian Creole-English Bilingual Dictionary (Indiana University)
and Haitian-English Dictionary (University of Kansas)
(Emmanuel W. VEDRINE)
October 24, 2010

Before going into discussion, I want to thank fellow countryman Marc-Arthur Pierre-Louis for a question he asked on a Haitian forum about these two dictionaries, and that inspired me to write this article.

In the last great research (from 1999 to 2007) to end up at a dictionary published by Indiana University Creole Institute, (Haitian Creole-English Bilingual Dictionary, 2007) we have selected Professor Bryant Freeman’s dictionary (Haitian-EnglishDictionary, University of Kansas) as one of the documents to be part of the project’s selected bibliography the team had to study. We, each member of the team, had our specific task in this seminal project. With my experience in research on Haitian Creole, I can talk from de “a” to “z” on the subject to bring all possible clarification, all that one would like to know or need to know. So, that’s the reason why I say: “Don’t re-invent the wheel”. But it would be better to come up with all possible questions in order to find clarification on some research work that has already been done. The dictionary published by Indiana University (2007), under the direction of Professor Albert Valdman, is a 7-year (and tedious) research and a team of specialists (graduate students in French Linguistics, foreigners as well as Haitians) contributed to it. So, there is no comparison with that of Professor Bryant Freeman (at this level) but, we are giving credit to Freeman where he deserves it (in term of the greatest lexical document being produced that’s has been collecting words from time to time in the Kreyol language). In my criticism on the Freeman’s dictionary, I mention the problem of “context”. This is important in lexical research though he (Freeman) comes up with translation of words /idioms (in the English language), but mostly there are many words that need to be illustrated (how they can be used in sentences). That was not done.

As researcher, writer, foreign language instructor … I’ve been living in the United States since (February) 1976 but that doesn’t mean I don’t know what’s going on in Haiti. In research related to Creole in Haiti, we can say: this does not exist at all. It’s foreign universities that are carrying out real research in that sense, apart from some articles written by Yves Dejean (while in Haiti) but, who is Dejean? Dejean is a product of Indiana University (Ph.D, 1977 where Valdman was the director of his dissertation, and also one of Valdman’s best students) who went back to live in Haiti. There is no University in Haiti that is publishing (real) research on Creole. On the contrary, (the late) Professor Pierre Vernet (who died in the January 12 earthquake) was stun when Professor Bryant Freeman went to Haiti to be in touch with him to show him his Creole database at the University of Kansas that he collected ... When I made the recommendation to Professor Valdman, a whole list of words from Freeman’s dictionary that would have to be analyzed for the Indiana University’s project, I told him that there must be field work research in Haiti to test these words (that were in the list). It is not because someone creolized a word and then to know that most people in the population would know what it means, and invented words also that are called neologism. Sometimes, a ‘neologism’ (like the word “zenglendo”, phrase like “rache manyòk li”) can pass through the population’s speech, but the spoken press would have to emphasize on them (where that population would hear them from time to time in order to get used to them).

One of discussions that gave rise to debates on some Haitian forums would have to do with variant (pronunciation of a word according regions, or more precisely, “dialectal variation” (in the study of “dialectology”). We’ll find examples with the words “tchipe”if we look it up on page 699 of Indiana University’s dictionary (2007) [tchwip, twipe, tuipe, tuip, kwipe, kuipe].So, it’s the way they would pronounce the word according to some regions. We must also say that there is no conflict here (in the variation of the word as example like that we’ll find in the dictionary). As native speaker, I say “tchipe”; maybe a person from Cape Haitian, from another region of Haiti, a person from Port-au-Prince would use one of these variants (twipe, tuipe, kwipe…) but it’s always the same semantics (meaning of the word). For some people with no linguistic background, it’s normal for them to be a little bewildered in a sense. If we want to know (about something), so we must try to check with specialists on that (which is what the fellow countryman did). At the same time, I must say that I was not in charge of reviewing Indiana University’s final dictionary project because I left the university after a certain time.  Maybe certain decisions might have been taken by Haitian colleagues who would decide on that (in term of what words would pass as headwords, which would be considered as variant(s) of a word. So, in my own dictionary that I’m writing, I will make a note of that. Let’s keep in mind also that there can always be many other editions of a dictionary, and we can see Freeman’s dictionary is on its fifth one (today). The work on dictionaries is one that requires constant reviews, and it’s for this reason (complete review) we can see a recent edition of any dictionary.

My focus for now is completing the largest bilingual medical dictionary (English-Haitian Creole-English Dictionary of Medical Terminologies), a project which I am almost done with. As I’ve said before, if someone never studies Linguistics, that person will see him /herself in another world. But people who study it for real, they will say the same thing I say here. I must say also that Linguistics is a vast field. It’s not because someone defended a doctoral dissertation in Linguistics to think that this person would know everything in the field. No! It’s like medicine; each physician has their own specialty, but all physicians have a general knowledge of medicine. This is the reason why when we go to the hospital, a doctor can refer us to a specialist. It’s the same thing for Linguistics also.

In term of research, specialists in the language carry out research within the population (for instance, investigation through interviews with the population to see what they think about such and such “word” /in what context such and such word or “idiom” would be used). Yes, we can say: the population also participates (in what we can call field research). For example, we have mentioned the word tchipe in relation to variant; so here, we agree on the “variation” (the way native speakers can pronounce the same word) according to regions they may be from but the meaning of the word does not change). In field research, we ask people many questions and in many places also. This is exactly what we do, where we go to many areas to investigate. We could only do the gesture and ask native speakers: “How do you call this in Creole?”  And then we take note. In linguistics studies, this is important to do, but at the same time also we’d have to ask people: what areas they are from and even if they’d be from a particular area, if they have moved to Port-au-Prince (the capital) for a while, the Port-au-Princian dialect (their particular talk) can influence them. So in order to avoid that, let’s say: we are going to investigate in Cape Haitian, Okay, Jeremi, Plato Santral, etc to collect data and then analyze them all in all to see what results we find.

So, it’s important on Haitian forums to know «who is who», what work «x» and «y» has already done in his /her own area, reference with whom he has worked already (is very important) before calling himself /herself “an expert” of this, that. We believe it’s something important, and without that, we’ll continue to get fooled by Haitians. This is the reason why I published through that largest Creole web www.potomitan.info where people find references of what I say in order to bring all possible clarifications on Creole. All of these documents have already been documented in my bibliography published in 2003 (An annotated bibliography On Haitian Creole).

To take a quick look back at variant(s), we observe that most Haitians would say tchipe. So in the order of listing of headwords, we should have found tchipe. If a word would have a (rural or urban) variant, the variant(s) should have appeared in parentheses. Example: chodyè (chòdyè). We add the rural variant, but it does not mean it’s going to dominate or have an influence (at the sociolinguistic level) on the type of speech most people in the urban milieu or even rural milieu have. On the contrary, many words that would consider to be rural variants, we observe that they are about to disappear. Why? Very simple: there is an influence of the spoken press where everybody can listen to the radio, wherever the person would be in Haiti. So, the peasants (who they accuse of being “Ti Jozèf”, “gwo soulye” (many times) have dropped this type of speech their mother, father, grandmother, grandfather … used to hold on (in reference to rural variants) or what they also call “gwo kreyòl” or“kreyòl rèk” vs. “kreyòl swa” (that would appear to be acceptable by all social groups, and at the same time, a variant we’d find more in the ‘urban milieu’). I invite you to read a little bit on that in a research Professor Albert Valdman invited me to present at the HSA (Haitian Studies Association) Conference, held at University of Virginia. Click on “A hidden norm in the standardization process of Haitian Creole that would be acceptable by the whole Haitian population and how to manage it ”. (E. W. Védrine)

In short, he are some comments made by Professor A. Valdman on 2 dictionaries published on Haitian Creole:

"...Given the limited resources at his disposal, the linguistic tools Védrine has produced are noteworthy, in particular, his Dictionary of Haitian Creole Verbs  with phrases and idioms. It is a very useful resource for linguists, translators, and learners of the language. With regard to its originality and overall quality, I would rank it as the best work on the vocabulary of the language and right next to Freeman and Laguerre's Haitian-English Dictionary and our own somewhat dated Haitian Creole - English - French Dictionary. The high quality of the work is reflected by its having been deemed worthy of review in the prestigious Journal of Pidgin and Creole Languages..." -- Albert Valdman, Rudy Professor of French, Italian and Linguistics Indiana University-Bloomington.

E. W. Védrine Publications & Online Creole Publishers
evedrine@hotmail.com, e_vedrine@yahoo.com

 

 Viré monté