Chinese (Mandarin): 2nd Ed.: Amazon.ca: Pimsleur: Books

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6 Reviews

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4.5 out of 5 stars (6 customer reviews)

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4.0 out of 5 stars Close, but not perfect, Jun 12 2001

By

live to try (New York, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Chinese (Mandarin): 2nd Ed. (Audio Cassette)

This abridged version of the full Pimsler series has been a wonderful introduction to Madarin for me. I find that the repetition and the emphasis on sound and tone of the tapes to be especially helpful.

However, at least in this abridged version, there is no accompanying text that presents the words and sentences you are learning through the tapes. Such a text, even with a romanized version of the words, would be helpful. To compensate, I have been relying heavily on the introductory section of: Reading and Writing Chinese : A Guide to the Chinese Writing System by William McNaughton and Li Ying, which goes into pronunciation in extensive detail. But for the price, it is a wonderful start, and I have found these tapes to be a wonderfully educational, and even enjoyable, addition to my morning commute.

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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Good as an appetizer, May 7 2003

By

Jehuda Hampel (Yavne'el Israel) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Chinese (Mandarin): 2nd Ed. (Audio Cassette)

Basically I do not believe in learning to speak a language without learning to read it at the same time. You will acquire knowledge of the principles of Mandarin pronunciation and some syntax. The course is very repetitive and the amount of vocabulary you will learn is very limited. The repetition is part of the Pimsleur method of memory training, absorption and immersion. Having completed the course, I now feel somewhat familiar with Mandarin pronunciation and at ease with it. But you will only acquire about two or three dozen sentences of polite conversation between an American Gentleman and a Chinese woman he meets.

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4.0 out of 5 stars An Excellent way to become acquainted with a Language, Dec 10 2002

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Mr. William Handley (Melbourne, Vic. Australia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)

This review is from: Chinese (Mandarin): 2nd Ed. (Audio Cassette)

This is not a language course but it is an easy and pleasant way to become acquainted with the language. It is easy but it is slow. If you don't want to work too hard and you want to see if you would like to continue at a higher level I would recommend it. You don't get any written material but just listen to the recording. It is easy but thorough. It gives you enough to get started. I wanted a little Chinese as I will be working in China and Singapore next year and it has given me a start. If I decide I want to learn the language seriously I will probably buy a different program.

This program has done exactly what I wanted.

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Most recent customer reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Good Introduction to Pimsleur
Anyone who thinks he can learn a language in four tapes is of course a fool. The real purpose for these introductory tapes is determining whether the Pimsleur method is going to... Read more

Published on May 30 2002 by Luke Martin

5.0 out of 5 stars We Learn Language through the EAR, not the EYE.
PIMSLEUR : Quick & Simple CHINESE MANDARIN. (Eight Audio Lessons on 4 Cassettes). Simon & Schuster Audio, 2001. ISBN 07435-0771-1. Read more