The Akademi Kreyòl Ayisyen (Haitian Creole pronunciation:[akademikɣejɔlajisjɛ̃]), known in French as the Académie du Créole Haïtien and in English as the Haitian Creole Academy, is the
language regulator of
Haitian Creole.[3] It is composed of up to 55scholars under the leadership of Rogéda Dorcé Dorcil.[4][5]
Background
The Haitian Creole language did not have any regulation until the 1940s, when former Haitian president
Élie Lescot made attempts at standardizing the language. It had an official orthography by the late 1970s[citation needed], and it was elevated to co-official language with French in the
1987 Haitian Constitution. The constitution, in Article 213,[6] stated that a Haitian creole language academy should be founded.[7] The language still lacked an academy to regulate its evolution until about 25 years later.[7]
History
In December 2014, the Haitian president and legislation approved of the establishment of the Haitian Creole Academy. 33 scholars came together and formed the organization to form a uniform syntax, to ensure the Haitian government is able to better communicate with its people, lead the way for more publications of books and various other forms of media, and to end the stigma behind speaking the language.[citation needed]
In 2017, Renauld Govain, dean of the Faculty of Applied Linguistics at the
State University of Haiti, criticized the Akademi's first resolution, saying it confused orthography, alphabet, and spelling.[8]
Members
The Akademi Kreyòl Ayisyen allows for anywhere from 33 to 55akademisyen – or members.[2] As of 2018[update], they included the following:[2][9]
^
abcdefJoseph, Herold; Lafalaise, Emmanuel (eds.).
"Lis Akademisyen yo" [List of Academicians] (in Haitian Creole). Port-au-Prince: Akademi Kreyòl Ayisyen. p. 1.
Archived from the original on 20 July 2018.
^
abJoseph, Herold; Lafalaise, Emmanuel (eds.).
"Lis Akademisyen yo" [List of Academicians] (in Haitian Creole). Port-au-Prince: Akademi Kreyòl Ayisyen. p. 2.
Archived from the original on 20 July 2018.
^Joseph, Herold; Lafalaise, Emmanuel (eds.).
"Lis Akademisyen yo" [List of Academicians] (in Haitian Creole). Port-au-Prince: Akademi Kreyòl Ayisyen. p. 3.
Archived from the original on 20 July 2018.