Koud Zyé: A glimpse into linguistic enregisterment on Kréyòl television in Guadeloupe1

This paper examines Koud Zyé, a Kréyòl‐language segment that was incorporated into the local nightly news in Guadeloupe, an overseas department of France located in the Caribbean. I argue that the variety of Kréyòl chosen for use in Koud Zyé illustrates a moment in a process of enregisterment. I demonstrate that the variety of Kréyòl used in Koud Zyé consciously draws on elements of basilectal creole and presents many similarities to a written variety developed by language planners for use in schools and in writing, thus distinguishing it from the Frenchified Kréyòl commonly heard in everyday conversation. I suggest that the ideological position that the writers of Koud Zyé hold toward Kréyòl influenced their choice of language on the program and, furthermore, that the program helped to concretize beliefs about and knowledge of the studied variety of Kréyòl that has been introduced into Guadeloupean schools by activists. Travay‐lasa ka dékatiyéKoud Zyé, on pati a jounal télévizé lokal ki fèt an lang kréyòl, an Gwadloup, ki sé on dépawtèman a Lafwans ka touvé‐y an Karayib‐la. Dapré mwen, modèl a Kréyòl‐la yo chwazi pou Koud Zyé, ka montré on moman adan évolisyon a ‘enregistrement’ a lang‐la (kivédi ki manyè on moun ka palé on lang ka fin pa rantré adan on larèl). An ka montré istil a lang‐la ki adan Koud Zyé, ni détwa éléman a gwo kréyòl‐la yo sèvi èvè‐y volontèwman, ka sanm on jan a kréyòl maké. Modèl lasa, sé tala yonndé mètamannyòk ka prévwa pou lang kréyòl‐la envanté, pou sèvi an lékòl‐la, é ki pa ka sanm tala moun ka palé touléjou. An ka pansé pozisyon idéolojik a sé moun‐la ki fèémisyon‐la, ni on enflians asi chwa a yo. An plis di sa, pwogram lasa rédé mèt déwò sa moun ka pansé asi kréyòl‐la, é fè yo pran konésans a modèl kréyòl sé militan‐la mété an lékòl‐la. [Kréyòl]