Pimsleur’s target market - men (Language Programs, Books & Tapes) Language Learning Forum

Pimsleur’s target market - men
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Language Learning Forum : Language Programs, Books & Tapes

31 messages over 4 pages: 1 2 3 4

thecatat
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Thailand
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Speaks: English*

Message 25 of 31

11 December 2012 at 2:04am | IP Logged

Bao wrote:

Actually most women are used to using instructions designed for men. The problem is more that even though I can emulate the way the 'woman' in such a dialogue acts, it does not prepare me to be a foreign women dealing with native speakers, the way the male part of the dialogue is designed for foreign men to deal with native speakers. And in that certain case it made me rather angry.

I always assumed it was mostly with learning Thai that women had to use male dominated courses - guess not.

I got fed up with it too (Pimsleur Thai being the last straw)... which is why I created a site with the tongue in cheek name: Women Learning Thai... and some men too ;-)

My aim was to find Thai study materials that gave women equal time. What I found instead is that it didn't matter as much as I thought it would.

I switched my study focus to rewriting existing materials, then having fun creating my own materials from scratch - working with teachers to create phrases that suited me, recording audio with a BlueBall, compiling everything using different programs (BYKI, Anki, iOS apps). My next project will be using Gradint to create Pimsleur type audio lessons.

It's a slower process but I've learned a fair bit about how we learn languages. And I'm fine with that. I don't aim to become a polyglot, or even a linguist. I just want to have an interesting time poking around on the edges.

Edited by thecatat on 11 December 2012 at 2:04am
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thecatat
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Thailand
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Message 26 of 31

11 December 2012 at 11:59am | IP Logged

hobbitofny wrote:

By the end of lesson 12 in Russian you can ask a woman to dinner or buy her a drink. It touched on directions, but you would be missing some needed words to understand the answer. Small thinks like turn right or turn left...

The Thai version does have "turn left" and "turn right" and "straight ahead". But it doesn't include much more than that (up to Unit 24, anyway). But even with those simple additions, it'd be difficult to get clear instructions unless you also knew how to ask someone to draw you a map (hahhhh... maps are not a talent taught in Thailand).

Also, in the Thai they are using "over there further" for "over there". It might get straighted out later (as they've done before).

Edited by thecatat on 11 December 2012 at 12:04pm
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Bao
Diglot
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Germany
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Message 27 of 31

14 December 2012 at 10:58pm | IP Logged

thecatat wrote:

I always assumed it was mostly with learning Thai that women had to use male dominated courses - guess not.

I vaguely remember reading about research in education about gendered representation of examples and role models that showed that girls learnt just as much from male representation, but boys generally learnt less well than girls from female representation. But as it's been a while I can't vouch for anything, I just remembered it as something that seems to make sense with what I can observe in the way people act around me.
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thecatat
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Thailand
Joined 5760 days ago
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Speaks: English*

Message 28 of 31

21 December 2012 at 5:00pm | IP Logged

Bao wrote:

research in education about gendered representation of examples and role models that showed that girls learnt just as much from male representation, but boys generally learnt less well than girls from female representation.

Interesting. I'll see if I can find it (I did a quick search but as I'm on holiday will have to wait for a better time).
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psy88
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United States
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Studies: Spanish*, Japanese, Latin, French

Message 29 of 31

03 January 2013 at 4:36am | IP Logged

I really like Pimsleur. I have used Pimsleur for Spanish and French. I agree with what others have said about the males apparently trying to pick up women. A few years ago, I was able to get the introductory ten disc set of Pimsleur Haitian for friend who was planning to go to Haiti to help after the earthquake. I listened to the first lesson and, sure enough, it was that same guy sitting next to the woman and trying to connect with her.
The amusing part was I gave this to my friend and he began practicing with it. His wife-who was not going with him to Haiti- also decided to listen to the lessons. She began to question just what her husband was planning on doing in Haiti! And even questioned my motives in giving it to him. She later said she was only kidding but I still wonder if she was not at least a little put off by the lessons.
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thecatat
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Thailand
Joined 5760 days ago
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Speaks: English*

Message 30 of 31

03 January 2013 at 5:12am | IP Logged

psy88 wrote:

The amusing part was I gave this to my friend and he began practicing with it. His wife-who was not going with him to Haiti- also decided to listen to the lessons. She began to question just what her husband was planning on doing in Haiti! And even questioned my motives in giving it to him. She later said she was only kidding but I still wonder if she was not at least a little put off by the lessons.

Actually, she has a point (kidding or no). When my husband asked me to find easy to learn Thai materials, the content of Pimsleur crossed my mind as well. But after looking at all of the Thai courses out there, even with Pimsleur's pickup lines and women asking for money, I'll still get him started on it. Compared to other courses it's time consuming, but the learning is effortless, and that's just what he needs.
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thecatat
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Thailand
Joined 5760 days ago
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Speaks: English*

Message 31 of 31

11 January 2013 at 1:20pm | IP Logged

nonneb wrote:

In uni, I took part in part of a Modern Greek Pimsleur study group. We always greeted
each other with the most suggestive phrases in the course, especially "Are you alone?"

The next year a similar group for Italian decided to use a different course because they
felt like Pimsleur was too much a guide to picking up women.

After a holiday break, I just came to:

Woman: you're here alone, isn't that right?

It makes the course fun actually. However, I am noticing more and more snafus. So now I understand why that Thai teacher made the comment she did. The mistakes are adding up (but I'll wait until the end to get my head around the real impact on the course).

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