Haitian Creole - Learn to Speak Haitian Creole
Haitian Creole is the official language of Haiti and is based on 18th-century French. This young Caribbean language was also influence by African languages, Spanish and even English.
Haitian Creole only became one of Haiti's official languages in 1961. Today Haitian Creole is alive and well and is used in newspapers, television and radio broadcasts. If you're ever thinking of visiting Haiti, then you have to learn Haiti Creole, since 80% of the population uses it as their mother tongue.
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If you're reading this review, you're probably interested in learning Haitian Creole. Perhaps you're interested in traveling to Haiti for business. Your goal may be a vacation, or providing humanitarian aid. Regardless of the reason, you may be worried that learning Haitian Creole will be difficult, and you're probably wondering how best to approach this task. Not to worry! Learning Haitian Creole should be a snap if you choose an audio-based learning method. Why? Because many Haitian Creole nouns derive from French and the language sounds very French, but the spelling is quite different. This can be confusing if you approach learning Haitian Creole by trying to read it first. So don't do that - choose a method that focuses on listening and speaking! Your biggest challenges will probably be structuring your sentences - which are very different from any European language - and memorizing words that sound completely unfamiliar. It should be obvious that the best way to overcome those problems is with an audio-based learning method. The instructional program gives you examples of correctly-formed sentences, and provides tips for constructing your own sentences as you learn. In addition, you'll be hearing a lot of new words which will easily imprint themselves on your brain. Learning Haitian Creole is not difficult - but here are some tips to help you on your way. Become a good mimic. We often think that mimicking someone is rude, but it may be the best tool you have for learning Haitian Creole. Why? Because Haitian Creole has consonants and vowel combinations that we don't have in English; it is also spoken at a different rhythm than English. By imitating a native Haitian Creole speaker, you are wrapping your own tongue around those sounds and making the language your own. Find a quiet, isolated place to study. Even though we're sure you'll find learning Haitian Creole an enjoyable experience, it does require concentration, and you can't do this while you're playing music or watching TV. And unless you're learning Haitian Creole with a partner, you should be alone when you study. You'll feel much less inhibited when you talk back to the recording if no one else is there! Record yourself speaking Haitian Creole. Play your recording back and compare yourself to the native speaker in your audio instruction. What sounds "wrong" about the way you pronounce the words? How can you fix it? Try it again and again until you're satisfied with the result. Learning Haitian Creole can be very rewarding, but only if you keep at it. Like any new skill, it requires practice, but the end result is well worth it. Study every day, and it won't be long before you'll have achieved your goal. I recommend you use the Pimsleur Haitian Creole language course to learn to speak Haitian Creole fast starting today... Last Updated (Monday, 01 March 2010 15:30) |
