Haitian Creole

Haitian Creole is a type of Creole language spoken by about 13 million people, mostly Haitians and the Haitian diaspora. Most of its vocabulary is derived from French. This language is called Kreyòl Ayisien by those who speak it.^[3]

Haitian Creole
kreyòl ayisyen
Pronunciation	[kɣejɔl]
Native to	Haiti
Ethnicity	Haitians
Native speakers	Over 10 million[1]
Language family	French Creole Haitian Creole
Writing system	Latin (Haitian Creole alphabet)
Official status
Official language in	Haiti
Regulated by	Akademi Kreyòl Ayisyen (Haitian Creole Academy)[2]
Language codes
ISO 639-1	ht
ISO 639-2	hat
ISO 639-3	hat
Glottolog	hait1244  Haitian
Linguasphere	51-AAC-cb
IETF	ht
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Origins

The language started in Haiti by contact between the white colonizers, who spoke French, and the black people they enslaved, who spoke African languages. The African influences in Haitian Creole can be noticed in the sound, syntax, and vocabulary.^[4]

In Haiti, the upper classes have often disrespected Haitian Creole even though they speak it, but the language has recently started to become more accepted. There are more books in Haitian Creole, and it was finally acknowledged in Haiti's constitution in 1987.^[5]