Pawol Lakay: Haitian-Creole Language and Culture for Beginner and Intermediate Learners

Pawol Lakay is a complete first and second year set of Kreyol materials designed for beginners and intermediate learners at the college level. It is the most comprehensive resource for the teaching and learning of Kreyol available on the market. This textbook adopts a pragmatic approach to the teaching of language: emphasizing the value of communicative competence, functional language use, and conversational effectiveness. Pawol Lakay takes into consideration the most recent research findings, new theories and methods in foreign language teaching. It is designed in accordance with the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages and the ACTFL National Standards for Foreign Language Education. Pawol Lakay meets the five "Cs" of the national standards for foreign languages which are: Communication, Cultures, Connections, Comparisons, and Communities. Pawol Lakay provides students with the opportunity to learn more than the Kreyol language. Every chapter of Pawol Lakay is made up of four lessons and a dossier with socio-historical and cultural information including Haitian proverbs. The dossiers provide substantial information on an aspect of Haitian culture and society related to the theme of the chapter. It allows students to explore in greater depth the topics taught in the chapter while promoting cultural analysis and cross-cultural comparisons. Frenand Leger, a native speaker of Haitian-Creole, has a Bachelor s Degree in Foreign Language Education from Universite Quisqueya, a Master s Degree in French Instruction from Indiana University and is currently completing a PhD in French Literature at the University of Toronto. He has collaborated in major research projects on Haitian-Creole and has taught this language as well as French at the college level in Haiti, the United States and the Bahamas for more than seven years.