I’m done with Duolingo . . .
Now, what I mean is that I finished the course a few days ago, and got . . . a dancing owl. There isn’t anything extra special when you complete a language course, I guess. You’re just done.
But I’m continuing to use Duolingo even though I know it’s broken. And here’s why:
First, it is great practice for vocabulary and grammar. While not every word is exactly right—in some cases the word choices are “old fashioned,” likely because the creators are from the Haitian Diaspora and not from natives currently living in Haiti—it is still a very good grounding. If you had no other resource for vocabulary and grammar, you would be mostly okay, although you might get that head tilt from a native speaker if you use an older word.
For example, the most current, popular way to say the month of August is “mwa out la.” The older way is “mwa dawout la.” A slight difference, and similar to saying “autumn” in American English when most people say “fall.” And while the spelling and pronunciation are sometimes out of date (the two examples that are most glaring to me are “senmenn” for “semèn,” week, and “sektanm” for “septanm,” September), it is not like you’re learning British English from the days of King George III. It’s just regional variations as spoken by some in the Diaspora.
Second, Duolingo still encourages you to keep practicing every day. You might advance to the Diamond League (highest level) at some point in your language journey, but you have to maintain that status every week, and that means that you’re practicing about 20 minutes a day going over lessons you might already have “learned.” But what I find is that I still make mistakes in certain phrases (“The pig could not jump” is one that I never get right the first time!), it is still very helpful to go over the vocabulary and grammar again and again.
It is true that you will not learn to speak Haitian Creole by using Duolingo. It’s just not deep enough. You’ll be left with some elementary grammar at a very basic level—perhaps the equivalent of a third-grade English class in America—but you’ll have the basics. And I think that because you’ll soon realize that it’s not deep enough that you’ll look around for more resources.
It is a very good start to the journey, but you will not only realize that you need more help—you will go out and find it.
And perhaps that is the best part of all. By looking for resources I have made many, many new friends, some in the Diaspora, some who currently live in Haiti. They have made time for me in their lives, helping me to learn how to read, speak, write, and understand better, and they have helped me see a world that I simply did not imagine even existed. Because I’ve had to learn not only Haitian Creole but also about Haiti and its creation, I’ve become aware of a different way of seeing the world I live in.
I thought that perhaps learning Haitian Creole would be interesting. I did not imagine that it would be a transforming experience.