Chinese (Mandarin) II: Learn to Speak and Understand Mandarin with Pimsleur Language Programs [Audiobook] (Audio Cassette)

The Pimsleur Mandarin series is excellent, as usual. However, in working with this current series I am reminded once again of a major limitation that never fails to frustrate me. I refer to the basic working script. This differs slightly in content and emphasis from language to language, but is roughly the same throughout all the unabridged courses.

My fundamental problem with all the Pimsleur scripts is that they seem to be oriented toward a (hypothetical) individual working in a foreign subidiary of a multinational corporation. I consider this a problem because it emphasizes social niceties and water-cooler talk instead of practical on-the-ground vocabulary. I mean, sheesh, shouldn't I know the words for east, west, north, and south by lesson 20 of Mandarin II? I frequently find myself tearing out my hair because I am not being given the tools (vocabulary) for successfully negotiating everyday travel situations.

In sum, Pimsleur is a great method for learning a foreign language. I just wish the content of the courses were more strongly focused on the practical, everyday needs of independent travelers.

Mandarin II is very similar to Mandarin I in lesson structure, pace, and quality. Like Mandarin I, the lessons are intense, and they teach so much in such a short time, but they're also very fun. As I worked through Mandarin II, the tones and pronunciation started to shift to the subconscious level and I could successfully combine two falling-rising tones in a sentence without even thinking about it. It's as if I'm absorbing the language naturally. This would have taken forever without Pimsleur. Even with a personal tutor, the use of time wouldn't have been nearly as efficient.

I've also finished Mandarin III (which is also excellent) and I now feel as though I have a good overall knowledge of Mandarin, and my pronunciation is close to perfect (I've been told that I don't have an accent). I am now trying to learning the more advanced aspects of the language through self-study and conversational practice, which is entirely possible after completing this course.

I won't say that I'm conversing fluently in Mandarin but the entire series is only 45 hours of instruction so I think you have to be realistic in your expectations. For me, Pimsleur is the right approach. I've made genuine progress and I'm told that my pronunciation is reasonably accurate. For someone with moderate skills as far as learning foreign languages go, as well as having started after the age of 40, I'm quite satisfied. I even have a Cantonese speaking friend who borrowed the tapes and used them to improve her Mandarin!

I'd recommend the series to anyone who wants to learn to speak Mandarin. Note that there is no instruction on writing Chinese, only some brief notes on Pinyin. I'd also recommend Modern Chinese from Beijing University for learning Pinyin and the basic components of speech. The Chinese-English Dictionary edited by John DeFrancis is also worth looking into and finally, you can get the Oxford Chinese-English dictionary for Palm OS.