Valdman Albert, Haitian Creole: Structure, variation, status, origin. Sheffield: Equinox, 2015, xviii + 477 pp. 978 1 84553 387 8 (hardback), 978 1 84553 388 5 (paperback) (original) (raw)

Journal of French Language Studies, 2016

Abstract

With Haitian Creole, Albert Valdman breaks new ground in yet another outstanding publication. His many single-authored and multiple-authored books and dictionaries form one of the more influential forces in Haitian Creole and Louisiana Creole linguistics. His Haitian Creole-English Bilingual Dictionary (Valdman et al., 2007) – to cite but one of the many dictionary projects he has directed – is an indispensable reference work in Haitian Creole studies. That dictionary, and now this rich analytical study of Haitian Creole, are great contributions to linguistics and Haitian Creole studies. Both works vastly raise the profile among linguists of this important Caribbean language. The latest addition is also a wonderful resource for graduate and undergraduate students in Haitian studies, provided they have completed at least a handful of courses in linguistics. I used this book on two occasions in an undergraduate introduction to Haitian Creole linguistics and found that, while advanced students grasp the discussions, it is not well suited for inexperienced undergraduates. Courses with large numbers of beginners in the field of linguistics could, however, be assigned shorter passages, a possibility the book makes fully available thanks to its meticulous organization (12 chapters preceded by an introduction). Each of the chapters deals with a different sub-discipline of linguistics: phonology (chapter 2), variation in word forms (chapter 3), spelling (chapter 4), structure (chapter 5) and origin (chapter 6) of the lexicon, basic sentence structure (chapter 7), the verbal system (chapter 8), the structure of noun phrases (chapter 9), complex sentences (chapter 10), variation in Haitian Creole (chapter 11), language planning and language choice in education (chapter 12), and genesis and development of Haitian Creole (chapter 13). The strengths displayed by this encyclopedic body of knowledge are numerous. Each chapter is carefully researched, providing a wealth of references for further study. Key findings across the field of Haitian Creole linguistics and creolistics at large are nicely synthesized. Native speaker examples are provided for every notion and argument, offering a valuable starting point for student researchers. The book also presents a national – rather than the typically exclusively Port-au-Princian – perspective on the language. Some of the findings resulting from fieldwork undertaken on northern varieties of Haitian Creole, for which the author and his research team from Indiana University received National Science Foundation funding, are presented in chapter 11, which offers many insights into geographical, phonological, and sociolinguistic variation and change, including a fine-grained analysis of four Capois Creole variants (3SG, POSS, WITH, TO GO), based on responses from speakers of urban and rural varieties. Peppered throughout the chapter, and the entire book, are lively examples of spontaneous speech that were collected in Haiti, meticulously transcribed, and translated. The research questions, methodology, and results of this chapter are one-of-a-kind in Creole studies. The book’s weaker passages are found primarily in the final two chapters. Chapter 12 on language planning and language choice in education introduces the reader to the linguistic situation in Haiti, where one language, Haitian Creole, is spoken by the entire population but has low standing, while another language, Haitian French, is spoken by no more than 10 per cent of the population but has high standing, dominating schools and the formal sector. Although Valdman provides the usual minute-level of detail,

Benjamin Hebblethwaite hasn't uploaded this paper.

Let Benjamin know you want this paper to be uploaded.

Ask for this paper to be uploaded.