TheBiscuit Tetraglot Senior Member Mexico Joined 5924 days ago 532 posts - 619 votes Speaks: English*, French, Spanish, Italian Studies: German, Croatian
| Message 137 of 185 23 December 2008 at 2:17pm | IP Logged |
Master Thomas wrote:
Question, on the Michel Thomas Vocabulary programs it says it teaches you a thousand words but that seems a little impossible. I'm assuming that means they show you how to change the word endings so you unlock all of the words that are close to English?
If so then it'll give me 2-5 thousand words in French, German, Italian, and Spanish.
I finished the Italian one and I loved it, his teaching style is very unique. |
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I find this slightly misleading as what it does is teach you how to make 1000+ words but these are words you don't really learn as such, as learning how to make them leads to their functional use anyway. For any kind of reading that requires a posh vocabulary, they are excellent, and also for a lot of the translation work I get, but for day to day communication in a foreign language, they aren't really that useful.
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Cainntear Pentaglot Senior Member Scotland linguafrankly.blogsp Joined 6012 days ago 4399 posts - 7687 votes Speaks: Lowland Scots, English*, French, Spanish, Scottish Gaelic Studies: Catalan, Italian, German, Irish, Welsh
| Message 138 of 185 24 December 2008 at 5:33am | IP Logged |
TheBiscuit wrote:
but for day to day communication in a foreign language, they aren't really that useful. |
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You say that, but a Spanish woman once asked me what happens if you get an "erección" while wearing a kilt true Scotsman....
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TheBiscuit Tetraglot Senior Member Mexico Joined 5924 days ago 532 posts - 619 votes Speaks: English*, French, Spanish, Italian Studies: German, Croatian
| Message 139 of 185 24 December 2008 at 10:45am | IP Logged |
Cainntear wrote:
TheBiscuit wrote:
but for day to day communication in a foreign language, they aren't really that useful. |
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You say that, but a Spanish woman once asked me what happens if you get an "erección" while wearing a kilt true Scotsman.... |
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And what did you say?
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ChiaBrain Bilingual Diglot Senior Member United States Joined 5809 days ago 402 posts - 512 votes Speaks: English*, Spanish* Studies: Portuguese, Italian, French Studies: German
| Message 140 of 185 02 January 2009 at 10:46pm | IP Logged |
I'm guessing this wasn't in Galicia...
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jez Diglot Newbie Netherlands Joined 6307 days ago 37 posts - 37 votes Speaks: Dutch*, English Studies: Spanish
| Message 141 of 185 03 January 2009 at 10:33am | IP Logged |
I really like MT Spanish. But man, the male student can be such a drag. I cringe all the time he screws up again and starts guessing.
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andrewm Diglot Groupie United Kingdom Joined 6014 days ago 40 posts - 41 votes Speaks: English*, German Studies: Russian
| Message 142 of 185 09 January 2009 at 3:52pm | IP Logged |
The problem I found with the MT courses is that the students can be a complete pain in the arse, either by interrupting (Russian MT course!) when they should listen, or taking forever to answer something you can answer instantly. At the same time it's the student in the classroom situation which makes it so effective as a motivator, so you kind of can't win....
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Cainntear Pentaglot Senior Member Scotland linguafrankly.blogsp Joined 6012 days ago 4399 posts - 7687 votes Speaks: Lowland Scots, English*, French, Spanish, Scottish Gaelic Studies: Catalan, Italian, German, Irish, Welsh
| Message 143 of 185 11 January 2009 at 8:06am | IP Logged |
Andrewm,
The students don't interrupt as much on the real courses with MT himself -- probably because he teaches things better than the new teachers...
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andrewm Diglot Groupie United Kingdom Joined 6014 days ago 40 posts - 41 votes Speaks: English*, German Studies: Russian
| Message 144 of 185 11 January 2009 at 11:17am | IP Logged |
Cainntear wrote:
Andrewm,
The students don't interrupt as much on the real courses with MT himself -- probably because he teaches things better than the new teachers... |
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You're absolutely right.
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