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French Assimil Disappointment | ||
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 Language Learning Forum : Language Programs, Books & Tapes |  | |
| Arekkusu Hexaglot Senior Member Canada bit.ly/qc_10_lec Joined 5409 days ago 3971 posts - 7747 votes  Speaks: English, French*, GermanC1, Spanish, Japanese, Esperanto Studies: Italian, Norwegian, Mandarin, Romanian, Estonian | Message 1 of 34 25 March 2010 at 12:47am | IP Logged | ||
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A friend of mine (L1 Japanese, L2 English) just started studying French and is using
the Assimil method (most recent anglophone version, with CDs). I'm actually the one that recommended it, what with all the good reviews it got here. However, going over the first lesson with her, I'm disappointed. It's a bunch of disconnected, meaningless dribble. I might sound a tad bit harsh, but it's just that when I start studying a language, I want to know how to make a sentence, where words go, how they connect, etc., and that lesson did nothing to help anyone make a sentence. Ok, it's the first lesson, but still... I wasn't impressed. If I was studying French, I'd look elsewhere, I think. Do I need to be more patient or am I not the only one to think that way? Edited by Arekkusu on 25 March 2010 at 2:29am 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| maecenas Diglot Newbie United States Joined 5577 days ago 21 posts - 44 votes Speaks: English*, Italian Studies: French, Portuguese, Persian | Message 2 of 34 25 March 2010 at 1:30am | IP Logged | ||
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I don't really want to be too harsh, but passing such critical judgment after just 1 lesson seems incredibly severe.
I've been working my way through it (currently on lesson 49), and I'm enjoying it quite a bit. Now, it's not my first contact with the French language- actually far from it. I've done Michel Thomas, Linguaphone Alltalk, and a few basic classes. With that background I feel like it's doing a terrific job of helping me "fill in the gaps" of basic vocabulary and sentence structure. I also have a background in romance languages with latin and Italian, so I might take to it much differently than someone from a different background. So, I'd say stick with it for a bit. The first lesson obviously shows the style they use for the book, and it's fair to leave room for the idea that it just might not be the style for you/her. However, I feel that lessons aren't as disjoint as they might initially seem- there's a definite "method to the madness" in the sense that they effectively introduce concepts on a gradient. And with the shortness of the lessons, your friend won't lose too much time working through the first 15 or so and then re-evaluating how she feels. 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| Arekkusu Hexaglot Senior Member Canada bit.ly/qc_10_lec Joined 5409 days ago 3971 posts - 7747 votes Speaks: English, French*, GermanC1, Spanish, Japanese, Esperanto Studies: Italian, Norwegian, Mandarin, Romanian, Estonian | Message 3 of 34 25 March 2010 at 1:37am | IP Logged | ||
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Thanks for the feedback.
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| pfwillard Pro Member United States Joined 5727 days ago 169 posts - 205 votes Speaks: English* Studies: French Personal Language Map | Message 4 of 34 25 March 2010 at 2:12am | IP Logged | ||
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Assimil is weird but that might be a good thing, if it can be endured to completion. I would use a more traditional grammar/reader alongside it.
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| Chung Diglot Senior Member Joined 7184 days ago 4228 posts - 8259 votes 20 sounds Speaks: English*, French Studies: Polish, Slovak, Uzbek, Turkish, Korean, Finnish | Message 5 of 34 25 March 2010 at 2:27am | IP Logged | ||
I got a similar impression when using Assimil with Ease for Hungarian many years ago. I stuck with it for 17 lessons following the instructions to spend 30 min. per day on a lesson. After that I got rid of it. I just wasn't absorbing anything with its attractive-sounding but ultimately questionable teaching method. The dialogues can be funny and have some handy idiomatic expressions, but I'm like you in that I also like to know what's going on so that I can learn how to build my own sentences / express myself in the target language without being shunted into using the book's sentences (i.e. some more explanations on grammar and MORE exercises please). 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| spanishlearner Groupie France Joined 5482 days ago 51 posts - 81 votes Speaks: Spanish* | Message 6 of 34 25 March 2010 at 2:47am | IP Logged | ||
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That's why I would never use Assimil when starting a language, for which the old "grammar-translation" method is far superior in my opinion. I like to methodically learn the basic building blocks of a language in isolation and progress step by step; I want to know what the function of each word is rather than memorize whole sentences. Assimil is more useful for intermediate learners to practice and refine what they have learnt elsewhere. Edited by spanishlearner on 25 March 2010 at 2:50am 2 persons have voted this message useful | |||
| delectric Diglot Senior Member China Joined 7209 days ago 608 posts - 733 votes Speaks: English*, Mandarin Studies: German | Message 7 of 34 25 March 2010 at 3:15am | IP Logged | ||
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I think if you've never learnt a language before then something like 'Pimsleur' might
seem more rewarding. You'll feel that you're actually learning something in the sense that you'll have immediate output in the form of speech at the end of the lesson. That's how I started Chinese Mandarin. I thought Pimsleur was amazing at that time. But, now after developing my language learning techniques and knowing a lot more about the process of learning a language I'll never start a language with Pimsleur. I'm an Assimil man all the way now. I'm doing French with Ease (Windows Mobile - mobi reader version). I also use it with a pocket version of Supermemo and a program that lets me cut of audio files. This way the whole learning process is mobile. Sure I'm not saying much in French at the moment (I'm only on lesson 22 right now). But I can certainly understand more words and my passive vocabulary and understanding is much greater than it would have been had I used Pimsleur. If you need to learn a few phrases to get by in a short period of time then Pimsleur is the best. If you want to LEARN a language then you'll know you'll need quite a bit of time anyway and so Assimil is the best. Feels like a natural way to study for me. My advice is to stick with it and don't give yourself any pressure about speaking/output at least until you are comfortably on lesson 50. Good luck. 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| fanatic Octoglot Senior Member Australia speedmathematics.com Joined 7174 days ago 1152 posts - 1818 votes Speaks: English*, German, French, Afrikaans, Italian, Spanish, Russian, Dutch Studies: Swedish, Norwegian, Polish, Modern Hebrew, Malay, Mandarin, Esperanto | Message 8 of 34 25 March 2010 at 4:23am | IP Logged | ||
No Assimil is not a bunch of disconnected, meaningless dribble. I learnt German from the beginning with Assimil German Without Toil. I had never learnt any German elsewhere. I spent between half an hour a day to up to 45 minutes, always broken up into several sessions. I was conversing in German in less than a month. I was fluent enough after six months to work in Germany and make technical translations. I have around 14 Assimil language courses and like them all except two. I think the problem is not with the Assimil courses but how you like to learn. Assimil suits my learning style. You may have to adapt your learning style to make good use of Assimil but it is possible. It would be harsh to say that the Assimil courses are no good. They are excellent and do what they claim. As I say, they don't suit everyone's learning style. (Check out the thread.) The same goes for FSI and Pimsleur. They don't suit my learning style. I have made use of both and they do what they promise. I believe that Assimil is a natural way to learn a language. It is pleasant and effective. If you don't like it, don't use it. Try FSI for free and see how you like it. Try Pimsleur. Many of us have used Assimil effectively and succeeded. Try it using the method they suggest. Work through the passive stage without worrying about what you have learnt or whether you have memorised the vocabulary or understood the grammar. Half an hour on each lesson is probably enough. Break that half hour up into segments no longer than 10 minutes. Review old lessons when you can. Then, when you begin the active stage you will find it easy and you will see you have learnt a lot. I see no reason to use another course to get a basic knowledge before beginning Assimil. I have learnt a number of languages using Assimil as my only resource to begin and I have found it to be effective. Some have written that they have tried Assimil but used it according to their own methods and then said it didn't work. They didn't try it the way the course was designed to work. 26 persons have voted this message useful |
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