Talk Now! Bengali

Rating:
Summary: Great for vocabulary building and pronunciation practice
Review: Don't depend on this software to teach Bengali script or grammar. You should use it in conjunction with a grammar book. I use this and 101 Languages of the World mainly to practice pronunciation but also to build my vocabulary. You can click on a word over and over to hear the pronunciation. You can also record yourself and compare your pronunciation to that of the native speaker. The software focuses on basic vocabulary like numbers, colors, greetings, travel phrases, food, etc. It has games to reinforce learning.

I like the fact that they show you each word written in Bengali script which helps with word recognition when I read Bengali. I highly recommend getting this and 101 Languages of the World. I am giving it 4 stars because they don't teach as many words as I would have liked. I estimate that there are about 400-500 words. But for the purposes of improving pronunciation it is worth it.

Rating:
Summary: Some value, but mostly disappointed
Review: While I like the CD format and am impressed with its interactive features, I was mainly disappointed by this product. The vocabulary is quite limited, and also not very culturally appropriate. For example, I don't see myself going to Calcutta and asking where I can buy pizza, a hamburger, and a beer. Also it would be more useful to know how to say sari, blouse, and bindi, than shorts and tee-shirt. The lessons were also too focused on nouns and very few verbs (if any?) were taught. I did like the feature that allows you to record and compare your pronunciation, and the spellings were shown in Bengali script, which is good for those trying to develop their reading skills. Definitely need to supplement this product with other books.