This is by far the best dictionary of any of the French creoles I've seen to date. As such, it's a must-buy for people interested in Louisiana Creole or any of the other French Creoles, Cajun, general French dialects, or dialects of American English in general, and certainly in Southern US dialects or Black Vernacular English. (In fact, until someone puts this kind of work into a Haitian lexicon, the /Dictionary of Louisiana Creole/ might have to do if you need a nice big Haitian-English-Haitian lexicon.)

This lexicon uses a coherent phonemic orthography, has a wide base of sources, and has lots and lots of example sentences (something I always appreciate). The lexicon deals well with lexical variation, which is a problem area in any dictionary of Creole. The lexicon is well printed -- in organization of entries, choice of font faces and sizes, and in quality of reproduction. And, altho it's new and only time will tell, it seems well bound.

The notable parts of this edition are:

* An about 20 page grammar sketch of the language.

* About ten pages on using the dictionary, orthography, and bibliography.

* About 470 pages comprising the creole lexicon. Each entry here consists notably of the Creole headword (and alternate forms); translation into American English; translation into Modern French; and example sentences in Creole (each translated into American English, but not into French). Then if there are subentries, those are listed too, with their own translations and examples. There are abbreviations noting the source of the data.

* An English-to-Creole index. About 80 pages.

* A French-to-Creole index. About 80 pages.

Voici un livre qui essaie de nous illustrer à propos de la langue française en Louisiane : qui la parle, comment on la parle, ses problèmes et ses besoins. J'espère que ce livre encouragera d'autres auteurs louisianais à écrire à propos de cette branche de la francophonie parfois si oubliée. Encore d'autres livres!

This is an exhaustive dictionary of haitian creole. Have used the book in an intensive creole course. Found this dictionary to be the best of several offered. Gives definition as well as usage guidelines. This make the book an excellent resourse for those new to the language as well as to all who need or want to use creole.

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.

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.

I may be missing something, but this workbook does not appear to contain answers (which would be best), and the answer manual/guide appears to be unavailable. A workbook without answers, no matter how good, has limited utility.

I teach Spanish at a Community College locally. Last year the publishers of "Workbook...Elementary Level" sent us at the Span. Dept. a couple of copies and we are now considering using it as an adjunct to our traditional text and workbook. It is terrific--if a person has had Spanish and wants to review, this is the way to do it. It will teach you the grammar that the new wave of "total immersion" books leaves out. We are looking forward to reviewing the more advanced workbook and have requested copies. I notice that you also offer the answer book, which would be nice for independent study. I am offering this review because I was so surprised to see the two-star rating. Thanks. Susie Feathers

I find that this first-year college level French text to be an adequate introduction to the language. I expecially appreciate the wide-array of authentic examples of francophone culture presented throughout the text. It is through these examples, that the student is able to apply to concepts and vocabulary in everyday situations. My only complaint with the book is the fact that in several of the short essays, many words are introduced but without any translations either in the essay or the glossary. Many times this is frustrating to students. However, the cassette tapes that accompany the text are a beneficial tool to the mastery of proper pronunciation.