This video is provides a general explanation of the Pimsleur Method, but focuses on Pimsleur Spanish Level 1. It provides a description of the goals/content covered by each major lesson block (i.e. lessons 1-5, 6-10, etc.)
It also includes a listing of the first 100 words taught in Spanish 1. The total number of words is approximately 350.
Its been a few days since I’ve posted, but that’s only because we’re working on getting our Free Spanish Course download setup. I did however come across a very good site called Speak Easy.org
http://www.speakeasy.org/~dbrick/Hot/foreign.html
There is quite a bit of general material on foreign languages, but some special highlights are on the sections on Chinese, Italian, Spanish, and Turkish.
The site includes a variety of sites that cover magazines, universities, and other resources for anyone learning a new language or visiting another country.
Keep an eye out for the Free Spanish Course and in the meantime download the Programmatic Spanish course if you just can’ wait!
Perhaps one of the most famous Spanish courses still available is the original Programmatic Spanish course produced by the Foreign Service Institute. The course designed for US diplomats to achieve proficiency in Spanish. The first part of the course is comparable to the first year of a college-level Spanish course. The course heavily emphasizes word and phrase structure for those looking for a more grammar based approach to the language.
The Language Chronicle is now offering the first of several free language texts for a variety of languages. The first of these is for Tagalog or more appropriately, the standardized language of the Philippines with considerable Tagalog influence.
The course was produced originally by the Defense Language Institute and is titled, Philippine HeadStart
While the course does contain some military and diplomatic terminology, the overwhelming majority of the text is practical for any individual to use.
To access the text, simply use right on Philippine HeadStart and save. This is a pdf version of the text.
Thanks to a special agreement, the audio is now being offered at the Ultimate Language Store at a discounted price of $19.99. Visit Philippine Audio MP3s. The Philippine course is the last option on drop down list.
Check back as we start offering a long list of free text and audio courses in the coming weeks.
This video is a demo of the Irish Vocabulary Builder for children which teaches more than 100 basic Irish words and phrases. Though it was designed originally for children, it has gained popularity among adults that want to try their hand at a new language without investing in a very expensive program. The program is simple and straight forward and one reason for its popularity.
This video reviews Talk Now Amharic; a vocabulary based approach to learning Amharic.The course includes 9 categories with approximately 50 words per category. The course includes two games/quizzes per section and also provides printable dictionaries for the terms introduced.
The challenge of learning any language can be somewhat daunting at first glance. This is especially true for Eastern European languages including Russian.
Russian has a special draw for many. Large ex-patriot Russian communities in America and throughout Western Europe provide a practical source for those wanting to connect with their ancestry. Travel is also another practical motivation for learning Russian especially in light of the booming Russian economy. While Russia and its former Soviet Republics may not be a popular tourist destination for most Western tourists, the importance of Russian businesses especially those tied to the oil and natural gas industry certainly make learning Russian important for many people.
Another interesting reason for the continued popularity of Russian is the large number of Russian women who marry Westerners. Russian and women from other former SovietRepublics often study English and their potential suitors learn English.
Whatever the reason, the most important thing to remember is to determine what your goals are and choose the materials that will suit your learning style as well as fit the realistic amount of time you can provide to your studies.
At more than 130 million, the number of speakers of Russian is significantly more than other European languages and a large variety of resources have been produced for the potential Russian student.
This course is focused on conversational Russian and is geared toward an intermediate level proficiency in thirty lessons. Customers can sell sets back when they are done for $120 depending on the vendor. Used sets are also available from site www.usedpimsleur.com.
This course produced by the Foreign Service Institute as part of its Russian Basic Course series, provides introductory through intermediate level material. The goal of Foreign Service Institute courses is to provide the English Speaking student’s from any occupational background with practical knowledge and proficiency in their language of interest.
Designed for beginners who want to start learning the Russian language as soon as possible. Whether on business, vacation, or perhaps meeting a foreign visitor, Talk Now! is the disc to get you started.
Primarily aimed to meet the requirements of children from 4-12, Vocabulary Builder Russian has proven popular with adults too! Speech recording the chance to record cartoons and play them back in your own “cinema”. Nine games of varying difficulty, with points awarded for correct answers. Over 100 words including colors, numbers, actions and simple sentences.
World Talk Russian is aimed at intermediate level learners who have already built up some confidence listening to and speaking Russian. The interactive games and quizzes will help to further develop fluency and understanding of the language. 10 Russian language games including ‘Lottery numbers’, ‘What did you say’, ‘Sentence building’, ‘Out to dinner’ and others to help you learn, test and practice your Russian language skills.
As we’ve stated before, learning a foreign language can be a challenging task for most people. This fact is only compounded by the constant bombardment of commercials on television or newspapers pitching one particular language product as the end all be all for every language learner’s needs.
Subsequent podcasts will go much deeper into these differences and look at the benefits, strengths, and perhaps weaknesses of the various programs on the market.
I have to admit, I thought I had found every Afrikaans learning related site out there, but lo and behold, I came across another one today.
http://www.sois.uwm.edu/afrikaans/
In addition, to Afrikaans lessons on vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation, the site also includes a forum for those students needing some extra help or encouragement. The site was produced by the University of Wisconsin.
Just a quick post. This is a site designed to teach students to learn to read Arabic. Nothing flashy, but shows the Arabic script and the associated pronunciation, etc.
http://www.ukindia.mistral.co.uk/zar1.htm
I will be a posting a new mega list of Arabic resources later this week.
