Synopses & Reviews
Compact Swiss German, a stand-alone 10-lesson (5 hours) program, teaches beginning language strategies for essential communication and traveling needs.HEAR IT, LEARN IT, SPEAK IT®
What is the Pimsleur® difference?
The Pimsleur Method provides the most effective language-learning program ever developed. The Pimsleur Method gives you quick command of German structure without tedious drills. Learning to speak German can actually be enjoyable and rewarding.
The key reason most people struggle with new languages is that they aren't given proper instruction, only bits and pieces of a language. Other language programs sell only pieces -- dictionaries; grammar books and instructions; lists of hundreds or even thousands of words and definitions; audios containing useless drills. They leave it to you to assemble these pieces as you try to speak. Pimsleur enables you to spend your time learning to speak the language rather than just studying its parts.
When you were learning English, could you speak before you knew how to conjugate verbs? Of course you could. That same learning process is what Pimsleur replicates. Pimsleur presents the whole language as one integrated piece so you can succeed.
With Pimsleur you get:
Grammar and vocabulary taught together in everyday conversation,
Interactive audio-only instruction that teaches spoken language organically,
The flexibility to learn anytime, anywhere,
30-minute lessons designed to optimize the amount of language you can learn in one sitting.
Millions of people have used Pimsleur to gain real conversational skills in new languages quickly and easily, wherever and whenever -- without books, written exercises, or drills.
Synopsis
The Easiest and Fastest Way to Learn Swiss German
Whether you want to travel, communicate with friends or colleagues, reconnect with family, or just understand more of what's going on in the world around you, learning Swiss German will expand your horizons and immeasurably enrich your life.
The best part is that it doesn't have to be difficult or take years to master. Thirty minutes a day is all it takes, and we get you speaking right from the first day. Pimsleur courses use a scientifically-proven method that puts you in control of your learning. If you've tried other language learning methods but found they simply didn't stick, then you owe it to yourself to give Pimsleur a try.
Why Pimsleur?
- Quick + Easy - Only 30 minutes a day.
- Portable + Flexible - Core lessons can be done anytime, anywhere, and easily fit into your busy life.
- Proven Method - Works when other methods fail.
- Self-Paced - Go fast or go slow - it's up to you.
- Based in Science - Developed using proven research on memory and learning.
- Cost-effective - Less expensive than classes or immersion, and features all native speakers.
- Genius - Triggers your brain's natural aptitude to learn.
- Works for everyone - Recommended for ages 13 and above.
What's Included?
- 10, 30-minute audio lessons
- In total, 5 hours of audio, all featuring native speakers
- a Notes Booklet and a User's Guide
What You'll Learn
In these 10 lessons, you'll cover the basics: saying hello, asking for or giving information, scheduling a meal or a meeting, asking for or giving basic directions, and much more. You'll be able to handle minimum courtesy requirements, understand much of what you hear, and be understood at a beginning level, but with near-native pronunciation skills.
Notes are provided to give you further insight into the Swiss German language and culture. A Notes booklet is also included in PDF format.
The Pimsleur Method
We make no secret of what makes this powerful method work so well. Paul Pimsleur spent his career researching and perfecting the precise elements anyone can use to learn a language quickly and easily. Here are a few of his "secrets"
The Principle of Anticipation
In the nanosecond between a cue and your response, your brain has to work to come up with the right word. Having to do this boosts retention, and cements the word in your mind.
Core Vocabulary
Words, phrases, and sentences are selected for their usefulness in everyday conversation. We don't overwhelm you with too much, but steadily increase your ability with every lesson.
Graduated Interval Recall
Reminders of new words and structures come up at the exact interval for maximum retention and storage into your long-term memory.
Organic Learning
You work on multiple aspects of the language simultaneously. We integrate grammar, vocabulary, rhythm, melody, and intonation into every lesson, which allows you to experience the language as a living, expressive form of human culture.
Learning in Context
Research has shown that learning new words in context dramatically accelerates your ability to remember. Every scene in every Pimsleur lesson is set inside a conversation between two people. There are no drills, and no memorization necessary for success.
Active Participation
The Pimsleur Method + active learner participation = success. This method works with every language and every learner who follows it. You gain the power to recall and use what you know, and to add new words easily, exactly as you do in English.
The Swiss German Language
The Swiss federation is composed of 23 member states known as cantons. About 65% of the Swiss population speak Swiss German and it is spoken in 11 out of the 23 cantons. Pimsleur's Swiss German uses speakers with urban intonation and pronunciation spoken in cities such as St. Gallen, Zurich, and Basel.
Tech Talk
- CDs are formatted for playing in all CD players, including car players, and users can copy files for use in iTunes or Windows Media Player.
Synopsis
Compact Swiss German, a stand-alone 10-lesson (5 hours) program, teaches beginning language strategies for essential communication and traveling needs, plus culture Notes. Synopsis
The 10-lesson (5-CD) Compact course introduces the customer to the language and culture of Switzerland. Customers will love the experience of acquiring the essential grammar and vocabulary of Swiss German during the spoken practice sessions. It is this ease of language acquisition that makes the Pimsleur Language Programs so popular and successful for adult language learners.
Synopsis
The Swiss federation is composed of 23 cantons. About 65% of the Swiss population speak Swiss German and it is spoken in 11 out of the 23 cantons. Pimsleur's Swiss German uses speakers with urban intonation and pronunciation spoken in cities such as St. Gallen, ZŸrich, and Basel.
Swiss German Phase 1, Units 1-10 provide an introduction to Swiss German with 10 thirty-minute lessons. With this product you start from zero, learning first survival phrases and vocabulary, then progressing to speaking and understanding at a functional level. Every lesson contains an introductory conversation, and isolated vocabulary and structures, as well as full practice for all vocabulary introduced. Emphasis on pronunciation and comprehension. At the completion of this course, you’ll have a basic vocabulary and speak with a near-native accent. This course provides you with a solid foundation upon which to expand your language skills. Culture Notes are provided to give you further insight into Swiss German language and culture. A Notes booklet is also included in PDF format.
Pimsleur® equals success. Just one 30-minute lesson a day gets you speaking and understanding like no other program.
About the Author
Dr. Pimsleur devoted his life to language teaching and was one of the world's leading experts in applied linguistics. After obtaining his Ph.D. in French from Columbia University, he taught French Phonetics and Phonemics, and supervised the language laboratory at UCLA. He went on to become Professor of Romance Languages and Language Education, and Director of The Listening Center at Ohio State University; Professor of Education and Romance Languages at the State University of New York at Albany; and a Fulbright lecturer at the University of Heidelberg. Dr. Pimsleur was a member of the American Association of Teachers of French (AATF), American Educational Research Association (AERA), Modern Language Association (MLA), and a founding member of the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL). His many books and articles revolutionized theories of language learning and teaching. After years of experience and research, Dr. Pimsleur developed a new method that is based on two key principles: the Principle of Anticipation and a scientific principle of memory that he called Graduated Interval Recall. This program incorporates both of these principles to provide you with the most simple and effective learning method possible.