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Your favorite language program? | ||
Tags: TellMeMore | Fluenz | Living Language | Colloquial (program) | DLI | Linguaphone | Teach Yourself | Platiquemos | Rosetta Stone | Michel Thomas | Listening-Reading (L-R) | Pimsleur | Language Program | FSI | Assimil | Book | ||
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 Language Learning Forum : Language Programs, Books & Tapes |  | |
| LatinoBoy84 Bilingual Triglot Senior Member United States Joined 5357 days ago 443 posts - 603 votes  Speaks: English*, Spanish*, French Studies: Russian, Portuguese, Latvian | Message 73 of 376 30 November 2009 at 5:11am | IP Logged |
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I have not used it myself but the Critical Language Series from the University of Arizona seems very comprehensive. Looks like it covers three years of university study.
http://clp.arizona.edu/cls/allproducts.htm They have developed a multimedia series that can be used for self-teaching. Brazilian Portuguese, Cantonese, Chinese, Kazakh, Korean, Turkish & Ukranian 4 persons have voted this message useful | |
| FrenchSilkPie Senior Member United States Joined 6399 days ago 125 posts - 130 votes Speaks: English* Studies: French | Message 74 of 376 30 November 2009 at 5:26am | IP Logged |
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French in Action!
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| franzwa Newbie United States dueitright.com Joined 5267 days ago 7 posts - 5 votes | Message 75 of 376 30 November 2009 at 11:40pm | IP Logged |
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I think when it comes to language programs it depends on the person and their learning style. I personally like the Rocket Languages’ courses. When it comes to language I like hear so conversation is critical. And I also like to see what I’m hearing if possible. It's working in helping me with my Spanish that’s why I like it.
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| Veqq Newbie United States Joined 5254 days ago 9 posts - 9 votes Speaks: English* Studies: Spanish, Russian, Dutch, Swedish, Indonesian, German | Message 76 of 376 01 December 2009 at 2:52am | IP Logged |
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One of my favorite programs is the Penguin Russian book, though sadly I believe tis their only language program.
The other is the Cambridge old English reader, if I were to make a method book, I would base it off of that, only changing the the readings into diologues (in the first part at least.) With Michel Thomas, I like the method he uses, just those students mistakes, I don't even see how they work for reinforcement, nevertheless, I think if it added a little grammar booklet of sorts giving out the pronouns and basic verb conjugation, it would be allot better for me since I like having everything straight up. With Pimsluer, I seem to a have a problem using what I have learned, I know it while doing the program, and get almost none of the questions wrong, but it seems to only be applicable to the program its self, at the same time though, it really helps with pronunciation, although I would use it only for that - except I'm not really the biggest fan of native pronunciations as I tend to go for a foreign accent in that language, though not the one I would have. With Teach Yourselfs, the newer ones have the same issue of Michel Thomas, in that they don't give you everything straight up. The old ones are a bit better in that aspect, being somewhat similar to the Penguin book, although they often have issues in the terms of errors from what I have seen. I have yet to go through Colloqials, Assimil, Living Language or a few others, though I will be quite soon as I am moving into a more studious learning regime. :) 1 person has voted this message useful | |
| fanatic Octoglot Senior Member Australia speedmathematics.com Joined 6928 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 77 of 376 01 December 2009 at 6:01am | IP Logged |
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I determine my favourite courses on the basis of how effective they are and how much I enjoy using them. My Russian For Everybody and my Assimil courses are effective and also written with a sense of humour. You get to feel you know the characters in the courses and their foibles. They both teach useful language, as compared to old Langenscheidt programs I bought in Germany which teach narrative rather than conversation.
I like a lot of my other programs, like Lewis Robbins Languages for Travellers, because they teach the useful, basic language that enables you to progress on your own. I also like French in Action, but I regard that as play, and practising the language. That is good. I try to regard all language study as play. But, I feel I am more of a passive learner when I play the FIA lessons. A lot has to do with learning style, and I have come to recognise that my style is different to most. So, I wouldn't judge the programs I don't like as being no good. I will simply say, they don't suit me or the way I like to learn. So, some programs are more useful than others, more effective, more pleasant to use and learn from, but I think we can benefit even from a poor program or a program we don't like. 3 persons have voted this message useful | |
| Chris Heptaglot Senior Member Japan Joined 6903 days ago 287 posts - 452 votes Speaks: English*, Russian, Indonesian, French, Malay, Japanese, Spanish Studies: Dutch, Korean, Mongolian | Message 78 of 376 06 December 2009 at 5:36am | IP Logged |
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Critical Language Series Roms (University Of Arizona)
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| LuxEtVeritas Diglot Groupie United States Joined 5487 days ago 50 posts - 65 votes Speaks: English*, Spanish Studies: French, German, Italian | Message 79 of 376 06 December 2009 at 6:01am | IP Logged |
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I really like Pimsleur. I haven't tried many others because Pimsleaur is so great for
pronunciation (the only use of language programs I find with a few exceptions), but I find that FSI is structured really well. 1 person has voted this message useful | |
| Hoopskidoodle Senior Member United States Joined 5282 days ago 55 posts - 68 votes Speaks: English* Studies: French | Message 80 of 376 02 January 2010 at 7:59am | IP Logged |
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I've had the most success with Pimsleur. I've dabbled with Michel Thomas, which I did not care for at all. I found Rosetta Stone to be utterly useless to the point that I would be genuinely amazed if someone (an adult, that is) told me that they achieved a functional command of a language using that program. I've also tried Lingaphone All Talk, FSI and Assimil, all of which I like and found to be effective. My decision to complete Pimsleur first was based on having found written transcripts for all of level one and half of level two.
I use Pimsleur in an unorthodox way. You're suppose to simply listen to a lesson per day and absorb the language through spaced osmosis. I, on the other hand, write out a complete transcript of each lesson as I listen to it (I'm past the point of the transcripts that I found online.) Then, I make flash cards using a interval-tweaked version of Anki. My Anki cards are set up so that when the front side is presented to me, it's the English translation. After I say the phrase in French (I record myself with little freeware program called Xemicomputers Personal Voice Recorder. It's well suited to language practice because it makes a discrete recording each time you use it. I use this program to check that I am saying exactly what I imagine myself to be saying.) and hit the answer button, I'm presented with the written French as well as the French Audio (ripped from Pimsleur with Audacity.) When the reverse side of the cards are presented, there is no writing on the question side of the card. I simply hear the word or phrase in French. On the answer side of the reverse cards, there is the written English translation, the written French and the French audio is repeated. I also have a field for French grammar notes on the answer side of both the forward and the reverse answer cards. I supplement Pimsleur with a few French grammar resources, and I place explanations of the various grammatical constructions on the cards that need them. I intend to work through the second stage of Linguaphone's Complete Language Course once I've completely all three levels of Pimsleur. I've read consistent reports that that Pimsleur French IV is useless unless you're involved in the publishing industry. Edited by Hoopskidoodle on 03 January 2010 at 12:18pm 2 persons have voted this message useful |
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