Language

Haiti's official languages are French and Haitian Creole (Kreyòl Ayisyen). Nearly all Haitians speak the latter, a creole based primarily on French and African languages, with some Taíno, Portuguese and Spanish influences. Creole was first born of the French spoken by pirates and hunters living on the island of Tortuga during the 1600s. English, Spanish and African influences were added into the language. It has vocabulary more French than African, with sounds and cadence more African than French, and a simplified structure or syntax owed to its English influence. Taino dialects are heard as well.

Spanish is spoken near the border with the Dominican Republic and is increasingly being spoken in more westward areas as Dominican and Cuban trade influence Haitian affairs. Some Haitians also speak English.