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The different Pimsleur programs | ||
Tags: Pimsleur | ||
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 Language Learning Forum : Language Programs, Books & Tapes |  | |
| James29 Diglot Senior Member United States Joined 5373 days ago 1265 posts - 2113 votes  Speaks: English*, Spanish Studies: French | Message 9 of 14 04 May 2014 at 1:48pm | IP Logged |
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Pimsleur is great for someone who wants a "dummy-proof" starting program when they start (like I did). It is simple to learn and understand and it is effective. You can set it on auto-pilot for exactly 30 minutes a day and it will work.
I used it almost exactly as the directions indicate. When I was almost done with it (and having done almost no other studying) I was travelling for work and checked in to my hotel in Spanish. My vocabulary was lacking, but I definitely managed. I could check in, sign up for the airport shuttle, ask for a vending machine, ask for a radio to play my Pimsleur discs, ask where there was a restaurant within walking distance and ask for a good place to go running (I distinctly remember this last one because I did not know the word for run and I had to say fast walk which got a perplexing look). Pimsleur serves its purpose very well. 1 person has voted this message useful | |
| jsteph Newbie United Kingdom Joined 4034 days ago 7 posts - 15 votes Speaks: English* Studies: Mandarin | Message 10 of 14 04 May 2014 at 1:53pm | IP Logged |
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Had you just done one level or more?
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| iguanamon Pentaglot Senior Member Virgin Islands Speaks: Ladino Joined 5260 days ago 2241 posts - 6731 votes Speaks: English*, Spanish, Portuguese, Haitian Creole, Creole (French) | Message 11 of 14 04 May 2014 at 1:58pm | IP Logged |
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jsteph, first, forgive me for not noticing that you are new to the forum. Welcome! You're missing the point I just spent 10 minutes writing about, about word counting. My philosophy of language learning is illustrated on my former Haitian Creole Log, my current Ladino log, and at a post I wrote about the multi-track approach. It's not about how many words you know, it's about how you can use them. There are a ton of courses out there for Mandarin. Mandarin is a whole other kettle of fish. I'm not qualified to give you advice on learning it. I can only tell you about language-learning in general and I've never learned a language without an alphabet like Mandarin.
That being said, my Pimsleur advice may not apply to Mandarin. We have many Mandarin learners and second-language speakers here who can give you much better advice than I can. Try posting your questions about learning Mandarin in the advice center section. Also, once you have a plan for learning in place, think about starting a log where you can get real time help from more experienced learners and speakers. Again, welcome to the forum! Edited by iguanamon on 04 May 2014 at 2:25pm 1 person has voted this message useful | |
| jsteph Newbie United Kingdom Joined 4034 days ago 7 posts - 15 votes Speaks: English* Studies: Mandarin | Message 12 of 14 04 May 2014 at 2:18pm | IP Logged |
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Thanks for the welcome, Iguanamon. It's great to be here!
I really do get the point you make about word counting and agree with it completely. The crucial point with words is being able to use them automatically and naturally just as you would in your first language. It's just that I just wanted to know how many words, roughly, are taught in the Pimsleur courses. Call it nothing more than innocent curiosity. So, with that in mind, does anyone know approximately how many are taught? Is 900 words for three levels about right? Would four levels teach about 1200 words? Does each level contain roughly the same number of words? Sorry to be a nuisance and keep asking but I can't find the answer anywhere and I'd really like to find out if anyone knows. 1 person has voted this message useful | |
| Elexi Senior Member United Kingdom Joined 5563 days ago 938 posts - 1840 votes Speaks: English* Studies: French, German, Latin | Message 13 of 14 04 May 2014 at 3:07pm | IP Logged |
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I didn't find Pimsleur German dummy proof. I am sure it wouldn't affect me now I know
how languages work but Pimsleur German I-III was my first language learning course. By the time I got to level III and the use of the accusative and dative, the absence of grammar explanation became rather limiting as I couldn't really infer the accusative and dative rules. It was only after doing Assimil's German Without Toil (which I did next) that they clicked. On the other hand I did Pimsleur French I-III after doing the Michel Thomas courses and the Oxford Take Off course and, like Iguanamon, found Pimsleur trained quick response quite well. In fact I might do German again this summer just to ensure a 30 minute walk every day. As to words - I think the word count for three levels is lower than 900 - more like 600 but I wouldn't necessarily worry about that - if, as Professor Nation's research demonstrated, it takes 6-16 repetitions to 'own' a word, Pimsleur goes at the right pace for a beginner (i.e. sloooooowwwww). My view is do something (like Michel Thomas) first and use Pimsleur to hone skills. Pimsleur can get boring as hell though - but as Iguanamon says - it is a good tool amongst other tools. Edited by Elexi on 04 May 2014 at 3:09pm 3 persons have voted this message useful | |
| James29 Diglot Senior Member United States Joined 5373 days ago 1265 posts - 2113 votes Speaks: English*, Spanish Studies: French | Message 14 of 14 04 May 2014 at 3:30pm | IP Logged |
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I have seen many things that say Pimsleur 1-3 teach about 500 words. I think that is about right. I was almost done with 3 when I checked in to the hotel as noted above.
Elexi is right... Pimsleur is definitely limiting in the sense that it does not explain things. I vividly remember trying to remember that telephone was just the same as in English but with an o at the end. I said it just as such and later realized that pronunciation is very important. I also remember thinking the first person of hablar was the same as the third person past because they are both hablo. At first I never realized that the accent created a totally different word. All things considered, however, I think it works very well for an absolute beginner. It is just so easy to use and the learner feels like he/she is learning something every day. 2 persons have voted this message useful |
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