To try out Pimsleur's "Unlimited" mobile app, I used the iOS app for German. were certainly reasons for expanding the Pimsleur method, first to downloadable software, and now also to mobile apps. User comments, competition, online/app progress, etc. Pimsleur gets you into the good pronunciation habit.
And most importantly, it asks the learner to SPEAK, REPEAT, and IMITATE. Pimsleur audio does a very good job teaching the sounds and pronunciation to adult beginners. You don't learn the spelling of the German words and phrases you hear.Most cues are in English, so you hear a lot of English.There's no systematic introduction to grammar.You can play them on your computer or mobile device.īut, no course can be everything to everyone. You learn basic German sound-spelling correlation in the Reading sections.The speakers pronounce clearly, with a standard German accent.You learn to make new combinations following a familiar pattern.A “spaced” recall schedule helps you move words from short to long-term memory.Comments on pronunciation issues are given as they come up.You hear and repeat new words, with backward buildup.Later in each unit, new words are introduced in the context of what you know.Each unit's initial conversation has only one new word or phrase.Obviously, I'm well familiar with the features that make a Pimsleur German audio effective: What I know well: Pimsleur German Audio CDs (And I will report about my language learning experience with Russian in a subsequent post.) But by starting to use the Pimsleur Unlimited Russian app, I'm able to judge how the app works for a language that I don't know. For these reasons I can't really provide an objective review of the German course(s).
It can be done, but they have to focus and practice.īefore you read on, you may want to read my disclosure at the bottom.
PIMSLEUR GERMAN ULRIKE RETTIG HOW TO
So, adults have to re-learn how to hear and produce sounds that are not part of the language(s), they use in their daily life. This narrowing down of sounds heard continues through adolescence and adulthood and can be traced to the growth of our “categorical perception.” (We described this phenomenon in an earlier post: “ Beyond Learning a Language Like a Child”.) As they focus on learning their first language, this ability narrows down to the sounds they listen to and use in their daily life. Very early on, children's brains make it possible for them to hear ANY sounds of ANY language.
When you learn a new language as an adult, you're in fact learning a new sound system, which runs parallel to the one of your native language (or to a second, or third, etc., if you speak more languages).Ī problem for adults is that they may find it difficult to hear some of the sounds in a new target language. The Adult's Conundrum with Language Learning They hear (and repeat) their caregivers' words, phrases, and sentences numerous times, begin to absorb the patterns of the language, and put all of this together to say what they want, and to understand others. Young children also learn their first language through sound. If you've ever used Pimsleur audio lessons for learning a language, you'll know how deeply the sound of words and phrases embed themselves in your brain with this program. And, if you read on, you'll understand why taking a look at Pimsleur Unlimited is feeling a little bit like "back to the future" for me. Paul Pimsleur developed his language learning method over 50 years ago. Language Learning with Pimsleur Unlimited Posted on Januby Ulrike Rettig Language Learning: From Pimsleur Audio to Unlimited
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