Mandarin Chinese … The Pimsleur Way

Greetings –

About a year ago, on a whim, I purchased a $20 set of CDs from Pimsleur on learning Mandarin Chinese. As I’ve been developing Global Talk, I’ve been poking around with every method imaginable, and I had forgotten that these were in the bottom of my pile.

This particular set, a special edition manufacted for Barnes and Noble Bookstores specifically, contained 6 CDs, so my expectations were low. Today, finally, I loaded up my six-disc CD changer in my little Subie and started to listen. Incidentally, it was either way too popular or not popular at all … B&N no longer carries the title, and I found them on eBay for $1. Literally. There are different flavors of Pimsleur’s Mandarin Chinese series on sale at B&N, if you’re interested.

For $20, this is a good deal. You can read up more on Dr. Pimsleur’s philosophy, but I would say there are some pro’s and con’s to these CDs.

On the negative side …
* There are no transcripts available for the audio.
* Some words are virtually impossible to understand and repeat.
* Rarely does the narrator give you insight into the tone.
* This is purely conversational; there is no attempt at Pinyin or character studies.

On the positive side …
* $20?!? You can hardly go wrong!
* There is serious repitition in the audio. That fits my learning still quite well.
* There is some context given about the conversations (”am” and “yes” are the same word in Mandarin Chinese, etc.)
* I can switch between my iPod loaded with ChinesePod and my 6-disc CD changer loaded with Pimsleur in my car while I am waiting on the interstate.
* The Mandarin Chinese flows at conversational pace. This is refreshing … be-cause … no … one … talks … this … sl-la-low .. in … re-ee-eeal … li-i-i-ife. I appreciate the “real-world pace” that is used in the audio.

Immersing yourself in various forms of learning Mandarin Chinese and researching all different styles of learning has greatly benefited me, and perhaps you’ll find this to be a relatively inexpensive and unique way of introducing yourself to the language.

Enjoy,

– bk

PS For you Mac app developers out there … I strongly suggest not putting spaces in your application’s name. Sure, it can be done, but, aiya, it can cause problems. More on this some other time … not pretty.

Discovery Atlas: China Revealed

I hope this post finds your Mandarin learning going well! In developing Global Talk, I’ve gotten some great feedback on easy improvements I can make to the application for helping you (and me ) to learn Mandarin Chinese. That elusive Beta version 0.1 is getting painfully close now to being complete. I really appreciate your patience.

In the meantime, sticking with the philosophy of immersing yourself in culture, I’d recommend that you watch Discovery Atlas: China Revealed. I cannot personally attest to its accurate portrayal of the Chinese culture, but the filming of this special is simply amazing. The photography made me want to go back to China for a visit. And, if you know a friend who has a high-definition TV, bring some Dim Sum to the friend’s house for the evening and settle in. It is stunning in high-def.

Enjoy the show!

– bk