I asked the question, is the Pimsleur approach the real deal or is it just another course that is over rated. Following is one of the articles sent to me, enjoy:-
I lived in Rome for 6 months back in 2007. During my time there I managed to pick up a fair chunk of Italian. Admittedly much of it was disjointed and littered with grammatical errors having never studied it formally. I returned home with a sizable vocabulary and a basic understanding of the construction of the language comfortable in the knowledge that if I returned I would be able to converse fluently with the locals at the coffee bar. Whole aspects of insider culture would be open to me, from the latest soccer results to the exploits of Berlusconi.
Just last year I was required to head to Milan on a business trip. Confident in my ability, I strutted up to the information desk at Malpensa airport with the intention of buying a shuttle bus ticket to the city center.
I realized instantly, as I opened my mouth to speak with the lady behind the desk, that all that I had known previously had been lost. Every word of Italian had escaped me and slipped into some dark vortex of my mind never to return. I mumbled something about a biglietta and treno, two words I had managed to recall from that dark recess. Everything thereafter was erroneous. I stumbled, bumbled, babbled and must have appeared to be in some sort of fit as the woman printed my ticket. I walked away from the counter in shock. I was back to square one. I knew nothing of the Italian language and my dreams of being able to discuss the poetry of Dante with a beautiful Donna by a trickling fountain had evaporated.
After my business trip I returned home intent on rectifying the situation. I determined that I would not try to recover what I had learned but rather start afresh, ensuring no room for grammatical inconsistencies like before. I searched intently across the internet viewing audio course after audio course. All of it seemed futile. A friend of mine offered his Rosetta Stone computer program and after trying it for one day clicking inane picture after picture, I gave up.
Why I Chose The Pimsleur Method?
It was then that I was recommended to try the Pimsleur method. A colleague had lauded his success with French and directed me to the website. A few days later I placed the CD’s into my computer and copied the files to my iPod.
The Pimsleur method, I soon realized was effective in locking in those words and phrases that had escaped me in Milan. After two days I was capable of having a short conversation with my Italian friends. Having spoken Italian previously I was able to comprehend the direction and method employed by the audio course. After one week I was confident that I would now be able to invite my imaginary Donna for something to eat, and if she declined and decided to have something to drink instead, then I would be more than ready to take her to a small cafe overlooking a Piazza and order us two beers.
Theory in Practice
The theory behind the Pimsleur approach is that speakers of any language will only draw from a certain block of language in their day to day lives. This block consists of approximately 2,500 words, which is actually relatively small when you consider that an estimated vocabulary size can be anything from 15,000 to 20,000 words. If we can lock in this small portion of our vocabulary in another language, then we can effectively communicate with a native speaker. I was extremely impressed to say the least as to how in such a short period, I had managed to solidify my Italian. I am now prepared when my boss asks me to take another trip Italy and perhaps I may even try hanging out by a fountain with a book of Dante poetry. Is the Pimsleur approach a scam, absolutely not.
