Abstract:
The complex relationship between Haiti’s two official languages – Creole and French – is
ambiguous and, at times, conflictual. This ambiguity and conflict, stemming from a long
history of colonial domination, is evident in how speakers perceive these languages and
how they believe the languages should be used today. The current study investigates the
language attitudes of multilingual Haitian immigrants living in the Washington, D.C.,
area to better understand the roles and perceived values of Creole and French in this
community. Qualitative and quantitative data were gathered from ten participants: all
fluent speakers of Creole, French, and English, most of whom also speak Spanish.
Results from written questionnaires and focus group discussions reveal the persistent
presence of sociolinguistic inequalities rooted in colonial language ideologies, as well as
increasingly inclusive views of Creole in certain domains previously reserved for French.
