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Are older Assimil courses outdated? | ||
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 Language Learning Forum : Language Programs, Books & Tapes |  | |
| Kronos Diglot Senior Member Germany Joined 5294 days ago 186 posts - 452 votes  Speaks: German*, English | Message 65 of 72 19 August 2013 at 12:45am | IP Logged | ||
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The audio for the old Assimil courses was often overpronounced to a virtually theatrical degree.
But that not only sounds cool (as they did it very well); it is also excellent for making you aware of the idiosyncracy of the foreign pronunciation. I listened to a longer podcast interview with Richard Simcott, who is a genius not only of language learning but particularly of native-like pronunciation. He said that as a beginner in a language he deliberately mimicks and heavily exaggerates the accent of natives, and that this helps him a lot with eventually arriving at an authentic pronunciation. The audio for the old Assimil courses is just what you need if you want to rehearse and hammer the right pronunciation into your speech muscles. If you listen to yourself you may think what you are doing is silly or respectless, but after some practice the natives will compliment you on your natural accent! 3 persons have voted this message useful | |||
| Jeffers Senior Member United Kingdom Joined 4942 days ago 2151 posts - 3960 votes Speaks: English* Studies: Hindi, Ancient Greek, French, Sanskrit, German | Message 66 of 72 19 August 2013 at 12:03pm | IP Logged | ||
I only have the audio for the old French without Toil, but I agree, it is amusingly over pronounced. I think that Laurence Olivier was the model for acting and public speaking in those days. Regarding mimicking audio, the French in Action audio advises the student to mimick the audio to the point of "making fun of the speaker on the tape". 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| Elexi Senior Member United Kingdom Joined 5598 days ago 938 posts - 1840 votes Speaks: English* Studies: French, German, Latin | Message 67 of 72 19 August 2013 at 2:53pm | IP Logged | ||
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It is a good general technique - I found my speaking/listening ability (and ability to
be understood) improved when I tried saying French dialogues in imitation of Antoine de Caunes' Franglais accent or that of Inspector Clouseau - and my German improved by imitating a comic Gestapo voice (I realise that may sound offensive, but such characters are rife in British comedy). I think the technique works because by taking a hammed up accent you are essentially 'acting out' your own accent and this allows you to hear the subtleties of the target language better. 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| Kronos Diglot Senior Member Germany Joined 5294 days ago 186 posts - 452 votes Speaks: German*, English | Message 68 of 72 19 August 2013 at 2:57pm | IP Logged | ||
Well, let's provide the other readers with a good impression. In school, English was one of my weaker subjects. But it much improved when I got hold of old records and books, no matter how much outdated. My absolute favorite back then was this 1928 soliloquy, recited by John Barrymore, which is even more eccentric than the Olivier style of a generation later. I used to play this record at maximum volume, to the chagrin of our neighbors probably, and hardly understood a word or what it was about. But it is this kind of outlandish stuff that got me hooked on English and improved it, though I was a failure at school. Compared to this rhapsody, the old Assimil courses are as mundane as business meetings, both in sound and content. 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| ericblair Senior Member United States Joined 4744 days ago 480 posts - 700 votes Speaks: English* Studies: French | Message 69 of 72 19 August 2013 at 10:56pm | IP Logged | ||
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My copy of German Without Toil arrived today in the mail. I have to say the binding on
it is inferior to that of my Dutch Without Toil copy. It may just be due to being more used in its life as the Dutch Without Toil copy is immaculate. Regardless, it is what I expected! As others stated, it does have the translations on facing pages. After having seen the PDF of this so long ago online, it is almost a bizarre feeling to actually be holding the material in my hands! I'm actually moving out of my apartment this week, but I look forward to starting with German Without Toil soon. I hope to replicate the great success that fanatic had. This will actually be the first language I've studied that I did not start off with in the classroom (as I did with French, Cantonese, and Russian). Let's hope all the hours I've spent reading threads on HTLAL imparted some wisdom on how to use this system appropriately, haha. 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| lsilvaj Diglot Senior Member Brazil Joined 4163 days ago 34 posts - 42 votes Speaks: Portuguese*, English Studies: German, Italian, French, Russian | Message 70 of 72 08 December 2013 at 4:17pm | IP Logged | ||
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I have bought recently two old Assimil courses: German Without Toil (in its Portuguese version, "O Alemão sem Custo") and La Pratique de L'Allemand (1975). I think they are great even nowadays.
Does anyone know where I could get the audio for the latter? 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| montmorency Diglot Senior Member United Kingdom Joined 4861 days ago 2371 posts - 3676 votes Speaks: English*, German Studies: Danish, Welsh | Message 71 of 72 08 December 2013 at 7:38pm | IP Logged | ||
Interesting point. Similarly, I think that listening to good quality audiobooks in the TL (spoken by native speakers, of course) is also good. You get to hear how it should be pronounced, and you get to hear a lot of it. I know people say you should raise the bar and listen to stuff which is difficult to hear, because that's what you'll meet "on the street", but I'm not so sure. Unless you've had lots and lots of experience listening to what it should sound like, I don't see how you have much hope of producing it how it should sound like. And if that sounds like Sir Laurence Olivier, well, you'll just come over as that charmingly eccentric foreign gentleman, and they might invite you to dinner to hear your interesting stories... :-) 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| renaissancemedi Bilingual Triglot Senior Member Greece Joined 4391 days ago 941 posts - 1309 votes Speaks: Greek*, Ancient Greek*, EnglishC2 Studies: French, Russian, Turkish, Modern Hebrew | Message 72 of 72 08 December 2013 at 8:02pm | IP Logged | ||
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The 1940s french assimil sounds like a black and white pre-war movie. But I love this accent, I prefer it to some modern sounds I hear. Last night I saw on TV5 a pastry chef reality contest, and one of them in particular spoke so oddly, as if he was eating half the letters. Also, a I heared that e sound I strongly dislike, at the end of words. I know real people speak in various ways, but I will go for the old assimil accent. That way I have more chance to sound better, once I speak for real and not think about accent.
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