Haitian Creole Reading, Lesson 02
Same Sound, Same Spelling in Haitian Creole
When two Creole words sound the same, they are often written the same. Context carries the meaning.
2
jan, way
1. Sound & pronunciation #
Do not force different spellings just because English would separate the meanings. Haitian Creole often lets the sentence context do that work.
Pronunciation guide: /jan/ – zhan with a nasal vowel.
2. Spelling rule #
Jan can be a name or mean way/kind. Li can be a pronoun or the verb read. The spelling stays simple; the sentence gives the meaning.
3. Vocabulary building blocks #
Read the word first, then use the sentence to choose the meaning.
| Creole word or phrase | English sounds-like guide | English meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | Zhan | Way / kind / name |
| Li | Lee | He / she / it / read |
| Moun | Moon | Person / people |
| Kijan | Kee-zhan | How |
| Lide | Lee-deh | Idea |