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englitprof
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« on: June 21, 2008, 09:04:18 AM » |
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My institution has very limited modern language offerings, which do not include a language that would be useful for my scholarship. Does anyone have any experience or advice concerning various self-study programs such as Pimsleur and Rosetta Stone? Primarily (or most immediately, at any rate) I need reading comprehension in this language, but I would like to be able to speak it as well.
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"Saving just one dog won't change the world, but surely the world will change for that one dog." --unknown
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octoprof
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« Reply #1 on: June 21, 2008, 09:05:50 AM » |
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You might try the search engine (Good luck!), as I'm fairly certain this topic has been discussed lately.
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Let us consider that we are all partially insane. It will explain us to each other; it will unriddle many riddles; it will make clear and simple many things... Mark Twain
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dept_geek
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through a glass darkly....
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« Reply #2 on: June 21, 2008, 09:17:23 AM » |
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You might try the search engine (Good luck!), as I'm fairly certain this topic has been discussed lately.
Yep. Here are two: http://chronicle.com/forums/index.php/topic,50316.0.htmlhttp://chronicle.com/forums/index.php/topic,48572.0.htmlBoth short threads. |
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I would love to change the world, but they won't give me the source code. When in doubt, add chocolate.
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englitprof
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« Reply #3 on: June 21, 2008, 11:06:39 AM » |
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Arg, sorry--should've searched first, don't know why I didn't.
As several useful-looking links were suggested for nomadicnm's interest in German, can anyone suggest some for Italian?
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"Saving just one dog won't change the world, but surely the world will change for that one dog." --unknown
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wild_rose
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« Reply #4 on: June 21, 2008, 11:09:57 AM » |
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I picked up Italian for Dummies but I haven't had a chance to really try it. I'll probably listen to the CD a lot on my way to New City; I'll keep you posted.
My goal wasn't for academic reading, but for tourist purposes.
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scheherazade
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« Reply #5 on: June 21, 2008, 11:10:56 AM » |
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You historians disturb me sometimes. |
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englitprof
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« Reply #6 on: June 21, 2008, 11:16:19 AM » |
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Holy moly, scheherazade--thanks! Wild Rose, let me know what you think of the Italian for Dummies.
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"Saving just one dog won't change the world, but surely the world will change for that one dog." --unknown
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scheherazade
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Running feminist prostitution rings since 1998
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« Reply #7 on: June 21, 2008, 11:18:33 AM » |
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I teach myself the languages I need to know (works better for me than classes), and I'm perpetually broke; hence, I'm the queen of free internet sources. I should also add this: http://www.acapela-group.com/text-to-speech-interactive-demo.htmlIt's perfect for pronunciation. |
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You historians disturb me sometimes. |
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treehugger1
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« Reply #8 on: June 21, 2008, 12:24:00 PM » |
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IMO, once you learn the basics of grammatical structure and some core vocabulary, the best way to learn to speak a language is to actually speak it -- with another human being. If you can't travel to another country or find a native speaker in your community, you can always hook up w/ someone through Skype at sites like www.mylanguageexchange.com. (I say this even after having been favorably impressed with Rosetta Stone.) |
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« Last Edit: June 21, 2008, 12:28:32 PM by treehugger1 »
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fiona
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« Reply #9 on: June 21, 2008, 03:06:18 PM » |
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If you have time and interest, one way to learn some Italian is by listening to opera.
A NY Times travel article a few years ago was by a woman who knew only the Italian in operas, and she got around Italy fine. People thought she was weird in her phrasing ("Can you vouchsafe me the key to my chamber?") but it did work, and Italians tend to be friendly and amused anyway.
I tried the same thing myself, on a small scale, in Venice. I knew only the Italian from "La Boheme" and "The Marriage of Figaro." People seemed to think I was odd and delightful, but they understood and answered me.
Opera will give you pronunciation, too, though maybe it's old fogey 19th century pronunciation.
The Fiona
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The Fiona or perhaps La Fiona
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englitprof
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« Reply #10 on: June 21, 2008, 03:10:02 PM » |
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Opera will give you pronunciation, too, though maybe it's old fogey 19th century pronunciation.
The Fiona
Actually, that's probably why my Italian pronunciation is reasonably good already, though I hadn't made the connection. I know there's books on learning French via French films--I wonder if there's something similar for Italian, with either film or opera... |
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"Saving just one dog won't change the world, but surely the world will change for that one dog." --unknown
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galactic_hedgehog
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« Reply #11 on: June 21, 2008, 05:14:04 PM » |
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I picked up Italian for Dummies but I haven't had a chance to really try it. I'll probably listen to the CD a lot on my way to New City; I'll keep you posted.
My goal wasn't for academic reading, but for tourist purposes.
This mighty come in handy. |
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Your professors were probably afraid of your galactic genius and did everything they could (behind the scenes) to thwart your hedginess. Hedgie loves to read. |
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infopri
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« Reply #12 on: June 21, 2008, 05:47:51 PM » |
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My institution has very limited modern language offerings, which do not include a language that would be useful for my scholarship. Does anyone have any experience or advice concerning various self-study programs such as Pimsleur and Rosetta Stone? Primarily (or most immediately, at any rate) I need reading comprehension in this language, but I would like to be able to speak it as well.
Here's another short thread on the topic: http://chronicle.com/forums/index.php/topic,42315.0.htmlIMO, once you learn the basics of grammatical structure and some core vocabulary, the best way to learn to speak a language is to actually speak it -- with another human being. If you can't travel to another country or find a native speaker in your community, you can always hook up w/ someone through Skype at sites like www.mylanguageexchange.com. (I say this even after having been favorably impressed with Rosetta Stone.) I agree. If you read my posts in the other threads linked above, englitprof, you'll see that I've used both Rosetta Stone and Pimsleur to teach myself Spanish, supplemented by some good grammar and vocabulary books (and, of course, an English-Spanish dictionary), and, as long as I have the dictionary nearby (my vocabulary is still too limited), I can read and write in Spanish passably well. (It helps that I studied Spanish in public school and in college, 30+ years ago.) I listen to Spanish-language radio and television--but my conversational skills are still awful, because I have no one to talk to for practice. Yet when I went to Spain as a teenager, I learned more Spanish in two weeks than in two years of formal study in school. You really do need someone to talk to. (Thanks for the skype tip, treehugger1!) |
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epistephiliac
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« Reply #13 on: June 21, 2008, 05:50:13 PM » |
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A NY Times travel article a few years ago was by a woman who knew only the Italian in operas, and she got around Italy fine. People thought she was weird in her phrasing ("Can you vouchsafe me the key to my chamber?") but it did work, and Italians tend to be friendly and amused anyway.
I know someone who used to get by in English by repeating song lyrics from popular hits. The results were equally, uh, interesting. |
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