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Assimil - The English Without Toil 1956 | ||
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 Language Learning Forum : Language Programs, Books & Tapes |  | |
| Hashimi Senior Member Oman Joined 6262 days ago 362 posts - 529 votes  Speaks: Arabic (Written)* Studies: English, Japanese | Message 1 of 7 08 December 2010 at 12:11am | IP Logged | ||
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My relative, who is 48 years old, wants to learn English for communication only. She is not interested in reading books or watching movies. What do you think of Assimil English without toil, the 1956 version? I have the newer version (both the British and the American one), but I thought that the old version might be better for her. Or should I give her courses other than Assimil? what do you suggest? 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| staf250 Pentaglot Senior Member Belgium emmerick.be Joined 5700 days ago 352 posts - 414 votes Speaks: French, Dutch*, Italian, English, German Studies: Arabic (Written) | Message 2 of 7 08 December 2010 at 12:32pm | IP Logged | ||
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If I've not a mistaken view, the 1956 version begins with the famous sentence: "My tailor is rich." I think it's a
good one. The explanations are simple and clear. Why not begin with that one. Success studying English! 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| Sprachprofi Nonaglot Senior Member Germany learnlangs.comRegistered users can see my Skype Name Joined 6473 days ago 2608 posts - 4866 votes Speaks: German*, English, French, Esperanto, Greek, Mandarin, Latin, Dutch, Italian Studies: Spanish, Arabic (Written), Swahili, Indonesian, Japanese, Modern Hebrew, Portuguese | Message 3 of 7 08 December 2010 at 4:23pm | IP Logged | ||
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I had this issue a few months ago, because my mother wanted to give English another
try. I settled on the new "Amerikanisch ohne Mühe". Particularly for communication purposes, a newer book would be more worthwhile, because it contains better recordings, modern figures of speech and more modern dialog topics (who talks of tailors nowadays?). These will allow your relative to engage in conversations more quickly. The question is of course whether your relative would most like to communicate with Brits or Americans. If the answer is both and/or other international people, I would still recommend the "American English with ease" because I compared the two modern English Assimils and the language of the dialogs in that one is closer to international English, while the phrases in "British English with ease" struck me as rather regional (though I learned British English at school). Edited by Sprachprofi on 08 December 2010 at 4:25pm 5 persons have voted this message useful | |||
| Hashimi Senior Member Oman Joined 6262 days ago 362 posts - 529 votes Speaks: Arabic (Written)* Studies: English, Japanese | Message 4 of 7 10 December 2010 at 2:37pm | IP Logged | ||
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Staf: yes, it's the version that begins with that famous sentence. I really don't know why did they choose such one. The new version begins with a more realistic sentence: "You are an excellent doctor." Judith: Thank you for the recommendation. Yes, American looks more international, and its pronunciation is slightly easier than British (20 vowels vs 14, etc.) I wish there is an English course based on the Scottish accent! I think it is easier to learn for Arab learners especially the old generation. 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| Betjeman Groupie Germany Joined 6146 days ago 85 posts - 204 votes Speaks: German* | Message 5 of 7 02 August 2011 at 10:33am | IP Logged | ||
In my opinion, "American English With Ease" is inferior to "English With Ease", the British variant. The exercises are not as good (they are actually quite laughable at times, repeating exactly the same sentences from the lesson text), the grammar is often explained superficially, and the phrases and idioms in that book are indeed somewhat "regional", as you like to put it - being taken mainly from American usage. As for British English being "regional", I think it is just a wrong notion to think that it was less "international" than American English. After all, BE is the foundation for what is spoken not only in the UK but also in Australia, Canada and India. Plus, it sounds a lot better than AE, at least to me. Nothing is as parochial as an American who thinks that the British do not speak proper English. After all, what is so international about, let's say, a Texan accent? (Sorry about the rant, this is a pet peeve of mine.) Since your reply did not deal with the original question regarding the old 1956 course, I would like to add my opinion. It is still an excellent course, I shall think, much richer and more enjoyable than its successors, but it contains at least some language that might be considered dated by today's standards. For example, it teaches "to will" as a synonym for "to like" (Will you buy this=Would you like to buy this), forms questions with "have" at the beginning of the sentence (Have you anything to ask=Do you have anything to ask) and tells you that "shall" forms the future in the first person (I shall go there=I will go there). The course will make you sound less "international" but more educated and a little conservative, I suppose. Perhaps a good middle ground would be "The new English Without Toil", which is nearly as rich as its predecessor but not as informal as the current "English With Ease" course. Edited by Betjeman on 02 August 2011 at 10:43am 6 persons have voted this message useful | |||
| Xenon Tetraglot Newbie Canada Joined 5635 days ago 14 posts - 17 votes Speaks: Romanian*, English, Italian, French Studies: Russian, German | Message 6 of 7 15 September 2011 at 3:35am | IP Logged | ||
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Canadian English is virtual identical to American English.
4 persons have voted this message useful | |||
| Steffen Newbie Germany Joined 4974 days ago 27 posts - 63 votes Studies: German* | Message 7 of 7 15 September 2011 at 7:31am | IP Logged | ||
Virtually identical rather, or is that Canadian dialect :-). Here's a quote from Wikipedia: Canadian English contains elements of British English and American English in its vocabulary, as well as many distinctive "Canadianisms". (...) Canadian English and American English are sometimes classified together as North American English. Canadian English spelling is largely a blend of British and American conventions. Edited by Steffen on 15 September 2011 at 7:33am 2 persons have voted this message useful |
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