
I've tried several different self-learning language programs, and I am very impressed with Pimsleur's courses. (I am studying Russian, but the library also offers Pimsleur programs in French, Spanish, Italian, German, Polish, Korean, Mandarin Chinese, and Arabic, as well as an ESL course.) Pimsleur was a linguist who developed his method after extensive study of how humans learn their own languages. I won't go into how it works (an explanation can be found online), but I was surprised at how much fun it was and how quickly I progressed. I did not have the same difficulty disciplining myself to do the lessons that I have had with the other courses. The one drawback for me is that he de-emphasized written forms of the language, arguing (quite correctly) that children learn to speak by hearing, not reading. Because I am primarily visual, I have found this frustrating. However, I understood his point when I realized that several of the words I had learned elsewhere are actually pronounced quite differently from the way that, applying the basic sound system, I expected them to be pronounced. If you want to learn to
speak another language, I think this is one of the best systems available.
Note: Each language is taught in three, 30-minute courses. (The publishers claim that after the third course, you will have an intermediate-level knowledge of the spoken language.) However, the first course can be purchased (or obtained from your library) in bits and pieces. "Basic Russian," for instance, is the first 8 lessons of Russian I. "Conversational Russian" is the Basic package plus the
next 8 lessons. Once you're past the first sixteen lessons, you can obtain the "Complete" first course from other nearby libraries (or interlibrary loan).
Check the library catalog or go to Amazon.com to read more about the title.
Recommended by Lynn, Adult Services