Let's Speak Creole / Ann Pale Kreyol (Book/Cassette Course) [Audio Cassette]

Albert Valdman (Author)

Product Details

• Audio Cassette
• Publisher: Audio-Forum; Pap/Cas edition (April 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0884327205
• ISBN-13: 978-0884327202
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 9.1 x 2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,844,140 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

46 of 46 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It's the best you'll find, short of face-to-face., July 24, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Let's Speak Creole / Ann Pale Kreyol (Book/Cassette Course) (Audio Cassette)

Haitian Kreyol (more properly 'Haitian') is a language in its own right and as it becomes popular, courses will start to appear. Expensive as this one is, it is THE choice at present if you wish speak Kreyol at all well before going on holiday or spending time in Haiti.

Audio Forum, who prepared this course for visitors such as diplomats, volunteers etc (and funded by the United States Department of Education), have had immense experience in language tuition through audio books, claiming to use the most advanced techniques to date. They have put over 20 years of Kreyol experience into this course, the successor to an earlier "Basic Haitian Kreyol" course, so you can expect something of it.

It does its job well judging by personal results so far. Divided into 25 lessons, each lesson contains a dialogue that introduces vocabulary and at least one point of grammar. It then has further questions, answers and exercises based on the topic and grammar (sometimes moving on to another topic); along with reading and listening components.

By lesson 10, the dialogue is spoken at normal speed so the student is swept into the thick of it quickly, so to speak. (In early lessons the dialogue is read a second time, phrase by phrase so that the student can repeat it, acquiring the correct accent and intonation.) Throughout the 25 lessons, a large number of topics are covered, concerned with rural as well as city life: family, school, finding your way around, telling the time and aspects of day and night, the weather, clothes, medical, dining, what you're doing/want to do today; employment; and a fair amount on Haiti and the Caribbean.

The pace is fast and it is important to complete each lesson thoroughly before moving on. Speech and pronounciation should be up to speed. You can't just pick out the lessons you want or it won't work. If finding yourself caught out later, return and review the relevant sections.

I see only two problems. The first can be turned to opportunity: the text does not always follow the spoken material exactly. However, discrepancies are slight and easily identified (and the student can correct the text if need be). They also ensure that the student is attending! The other is that even at a fair pressure, say 40 to 60 minutes a day, this course will take around six months to finish. It is not a "Survive in Kreyol" tourist course. You will not learn to ask directions and understand the response until lesson 12. "Food" is dealt with in lesson 17.

Neither of these "problems" fails the course in any way. At the end, you would be able to strike up a conversation in most parts of Haiti, know how to ask your way around and so forth. More than that, you would have acquired a knowledge of Haitian culture through its langauge - and be able to talk about it. That would seem to enhance any visit.

This is not the only Audio Forum course I have used and their system is very effective. A final note: though their courses SEEM expensive, they are usually cheaper than anything comparable on the market and more thorough.

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A good starter, April 17, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Let's Speak Creole / Ann Pale Kreyol (Book/Cassette Course) (Audio Cassette)

This is a good workbook/book to use if you're just beginning to learn kreyol. You get lots of cultural information from it as well as basic vocabulary. Just a good overall book.

In terms of some problems, some of the phrases/words are outdated (this was written in '83, I believe), there are some ambiguous passages in terms of some of the grammar rules, and the glossary would be better if it was expanded and went kreyol->english AND english->kreyol.

But this is a very good beginner book. Even though it has its faults, it's one of the best books out there to learn kreyol.