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Can You Really Learn Spanish Effectively With The Pimsleur Spanish Language Course?
By:
Daniel Wildwood
Here’s a tip, that will apply to any type of language course that you undertake to do on your own.
Being in a relaxed and receptive state of mind can be enormously helpful when studying. Back in the 1970's, a Bulgarian professor of psychiatry and psychotherapy - Dr.Georgi Lozanov - developed an accelerated learning method of teaching languages, which he called "Suggestology" or "Suggestopedia". This method has many aspects, but one of the most important is to provide a comfortable and relaxing learning environment. One of the techniques he used was to play classical Baroque music to students while they were in class. The Baroque selections used for this are usually largo and adagio movements that have a rhythm of about 60 Beats Per Minute. Some examples are the Pachelbel Canon in D Major, the Albinoni Adagio, and the Largo from the Vivaldi Guitar Concerto. Lozanov found that if he played the music in the background while he was teaching, the students absorbed and remembered many more words than they did when not exposed to the music. Playing beautiful music while you’re studying is something you can add for free to any home study course. Just find a piece of Baroque music that you really enjoy and let it play in the background while you concentrate on your lessons.
The main topics of the present article are the questions of whether or not a self study Spanish course can be effective, what is necessary to make it so, and what the advantages of self study are compared to an attended language course with a teacher and other students. I will also explain what it is that makes the Pimsleur language courses so unique and effective.
One of the primary ingredients for effectively learning a language is dedication and regularity. More specifically, it translates to learning something new every day. It soon mounts up, and also it keeps you immersed in the Spanish language. A self-study Spanish course makes this very simple. You don't have to leave the house to go out to a class, and you don't need to spend time commuting.
Another ingredient for success is portability. If you are able to take the language course with you, you can learn while going to work, while out and about, on vacation, etc. In this way you can make good use of time that would otherwise be wasted, and this helps to support your commitment and consistency to the language study.
Cost is another element to think about if you are going to study a language. Self study is a lot less expensive than attending regular classes at a reputable language school. If you consider the price of 3-5 lessons each week at a serious language institute, over a time span of a few months, you will immediately see that even the most costly home study course will be a bargain.
Finally, though, it all boils down to how effective a home-study course is - and this is where the Pimsleur Spanish course comes in. The procedure developed by Dr. Pimsleur is based on two core principles - the first is the "Principle of Anticipation", which requires you to "anticipate" a correct answer. This is implemented by asking you questions to which you can readily anticipate the answers, following on from what was previously learned. The second principal is that of "Graduated Interval Recall" which involves asking you questions about previously presented material, at ever greater intervals. All of which makes the learning almost effortless. In addition because the course is all audio, it's no problem to carry around on an mp3 player and to study while commuting or taking a walk.
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