Pawòl Lakay

Haitian Creole Language
and Culture for
Beginner and Intermediate Learners

Pawòl Lakay is a complete first and second year set of Kreyòl materials designed for beginners and intermediate learners at the college / university levels. It is the most comprehensive resource for the teaching and learning of Haitian Creole 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.

Pawòl 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. Pawòl Lakay meets the five “Cs” of the national standards for foreign languages which are: Communication, Cultures, Connections, Comparisons, and Communities. Pawòl Lakay provides students with the opportunity to learn more than the Kreyòl language. Every chapter of Pawòl Lakay is made up of four lessons and a dossier with sociohistorical 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 crosscultural comparisons.

Frenand Léger is a native of Haiti who has taught HaitianCreole and French studies at the college/university level for 15 years. He has also collaborated in major research projects on Haiti. He is currently a fulltime faculty member in the Department of French at Carleton University, Ottawa Canada. Before joining Carleton in 2016, he taught French and Haitian Creole at Indiana University while completing his M.A. in applied linguistics. In 2016, he received his Ph.D. in French literature at the University of Toronto where he also taught a number of French language and literature courses.