A. LANGUAGE AS AN OPPRESSOR
The oddest cause of poverty in the world is the fact of language. The imposition of French on the country is an immediate cause of Haiti's misery.
French is the official language of the country. All state business is carried on in French, the schools educate mainly in French. Social prestige is related to the ability to speak French. Yet only about 10% of the people can even get along in French, with less than 5% knowing the language fluently. Creole is the language of the people. 100% of the Haitians speak and understand Creole as their mother tongue.
The road to social, economic and intellectual development is reserved to the speakers of French, while the people are kept in their misery because their language is not recognized nor allowed as an official language.
Creole is not a patois or dialect of French. It is a recognized language in its own right, with its own syntax which is significantly different from French. The Creole grammar is rooted in Central African languages, though most of its vocabulary is influenced by French.