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 Language Learning Forum : Language Programs, Books & Tapes |  | |
| txag2005 Newbie United States Joined 5967 days ago 20 posts - 20 votes Speaks: English* Studies: Spanish | Message 25 of 34 29 July 2008 at 12:04am | IP Logged | |||||
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While my exposure is only a few lessons in, I wanted to jump in with a few comments on Rosseta Stone.
First, I am using version 2 as that is the one available through our public library. I've skimmed over the comments here, and agree with many of the criticisms. I am of course a beginning learner of Spanish, but I have no idea how any advanced understanding of language can be gained through the program. Most of the grammer I've picked up on come from other studies or things I still remember from Spanish class years ago. It is a great vocabulary tool, but other than that I do not see a huge benefit. I know v3 has been enhanced a bit, but from use of v2, it is definitely not a primary tool to use in my opinion. I've learned MUCH more from completing the first disc of the Michel Thomas course than the few lessons of Rosetta Stone I have worked through. 1 person has voted this message useful | ||||||
| Western1492 Newbie United States Joined 5993 days ago 4 posts - 4 votes Speaks: English* Studies: German | Message 26 of 34 29 July 2008 at 1:37am | IP Logged | |||||
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I am probably a few hours work away from completing the German Rosetta Stone v3. Will I be fluent? No. Has the software given me hours of listening and speaking experience with some automated correction (due to voice recognition tech)? Yes. Has the software taught me hundreds of words (possibly a thousand if connotations are included) in an enjoyable manner? Yes.
The fact is I can rarely sit down with a book and study by myself for hours at a time when the subject matter is foreign grammar or vocab. But I could consistently do it with Rosetta Stone. I know some people would put me to shame when it comes to foreign language acquisition, but the reality is that the software has given me a stable foothold in the language I had no previous experience with. I can now listen to German music and pick out words and meanings from sentences which is very inspirational to a new learner such as myself (My favorites are Wir Sind Helden und Die Toten Hosen). I can also visit native German sites and not feel so separated. Sites geared towards learners such as Deutsche Welle Top-Thema is a pleasure to read with the aid of a dictionary and some spare time. I don't believe Rosetta Stone let me down in my German language education. There are some who may disagree, but the program did exactly what I needed it to do. It made German not feel like a totally foreign language any more. Edited by Western1492 on 29 July 2008 at 1:40am 1 person has voted this message useful | ||||||
| Casey Newbie United States Joined 6615 days ago 26 posts - 28 votes Speaks: English* | Message 27 of 34 29 July 2008 at 12:27pm | IP Logged | |||||
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. Edited by Casey on 12 August 2008 at 9:07am 1 person has voted this message useful | ||||||
| txag2005 Newbie United States Joined 5967 days ago 20 posts - 20 votes Speaks: English* Studies: Spanish | Message 28 of 34 29 July 2008 at 12:53pm | IP Logged | |||||
I think your story is a perfect example of what Rosetta Stone should be used for. It opens up the doors to a new language so it is not completely foriegn to you, and also allows for some solid vocab aquisition. I guess my main contention is Rosetta Stone is marketed and seen by many and the end all be all of language learning. I also do not believe it is worth the extremely high price tag (neither is Pimsleur likely). For $500-1000 I would think the software should be powerful enough to bring a learner close to fluency by the end, and I dont feel Rosetta Stone delivers at all in regards to that. 1 person has voted this message useful | ||||||
| Casey Newbie United States Joined 6615 days ago 26 posts - 28 votes Speaks: English* | Message 29 of 34 29 July 2008 at 1:16pm | IP Logged | |||||
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. Edited by Casey on 12 August 2008 at 9:07am 1 person has voted this message useful | ||||||
| Cainntear Pentaglot Senior Member Scotland linguafrankly.blogsp Joined 6013 days ago 4399 posts - 7687 votes  Speaks: Lowland Scots, English*, French, Spanish, Scottish Gaelic Studies: Catalan, Italian, German, Irish, Welsh | Message 30 of 34 29 July 2008 at 5:15pm | IP Logged | |||||
No, I mean they seem to be designed to teach French, Spanish and Italian. Not necessarily to speakers of any particular language -- it's just that the template normally fits these languages best -- for example etre (to be) je suis, tu es, il/elle est, nous sommes, vous etes, ils/elles sont; needs done in French, doesn't need done in Gaelic when the verb doesn't change. It's not a problem in explanations, because these are rewritten for each language -- it is that the structure and order of learning is suoptimal: you are forced to spend time on things that are hard in French but easy in your chosen language, and you aren't given the opportunity to work on things that are hard in your target language because they don't exist in French. 1 person has voted this message useful | ||||||
| Cainntear Pentaglot Senior Member Scotland linguafrankly.blogsp Joined 6013 days ago 4399 posts - 7687 votes Speaks: Lowland Scots, English*, French, Spanish, Scottish Gaelic Studies: Catalan, Italian, German, Irish, Welsh | Message 31 of 34 29 July 2008 at 5:19pm | IP Logged | |||||
All software is the same. The interactive phrasebook ones sell at $40, compared with a $10 phrasebook (with more content, just no speaking). Ones that are little more than flashcard drills go for $50 and up, and Rosetta Stone is just ridiculous. But all of them -- phrasebooks, drills and RS -- claim to be a course, which none of them are. There is, as yet, no such thing as a computer-based language course, despite the advertising claims. 1 person has voted this message useful | ||||||
| Casey Newbie United States Joined 6615 days ago 26 posts - 28 votes Speaks: English* | Message 32 of 34 30 July 2008 at 12:32pm | IP Logged | |||||
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. Edited by Casey on 12 August 2008 at 9:08am 1 person has voted this message useful |
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