German: Start Speaking Today! (Language 30)

Rating:
Summary: A Recommended Aid To Learning German
Review: I have been learning German for over two years. I've bought quite a few tools to help me learn to speak it. I bought this late last year, and must say that it's one of the best German language sets I've owned. It's quite thorough, plus they don't say the words or phrases so fast that you get frustrated. Everything is also repeated, which is very important. You also not only have the two cassettes included, but also have a nice informative book with everything that is spoken in written form. They even give you a little history about how half the English that we speak comes from Old German; that was very interesting to hear. The book also gives you a history of the German language, grammatical notes, and important signs. You shouldn't feel ripped off if you buy this pack. It's worth it.

Rating:
Summary: #1 Language Learning Tapes
Review: I've used the Language 30 learning cassettes for learning/reviewing 5 languages, and have found them to be the BEST out there. What makes them the best? The words and phrases included on the cassettes are the most relevant, they are repeated twice at a normal, yet understandable speed and you can follow along with a guide book which is well-formatted and has a pronunciation guide next to each word/phrase. There is also plenty of time for you to repeat what you've heard. Berlitz wishes their tapes were this good!

Rating:
Summary: A good course
Review: This course from Language/30 has been a helpful tool in my study of the German language. This revised, expanded edition was released in 1992. It comes with two audio cassettes and a phrase book. The cassettes total up to 100 minutes. The book--which contains 49 pages--has a transcription of the audio material. As for the German phrases, they are spoken by two native speakers of the language (a man and a woman). The English phrases are handled by a man. English phrases are recited once, while the German equivalents are said twice. The letters of the German alphabet and the sounds of the German language--diphthongs, vowels, and consonants--are spoken only once and are also transcribed in the book. The social customs section, following the German phrases, is not only in the book but also on the cassettes. Even though the audio material is represented in the book, there are things that the book contains that are not heard on the cassettes; there is an essay from Charles Berlitz (a world-famous linguist), a table of contents, an informative introduction, pronunciation hints, phonetic pronunciation, footnotes, grammatical notes, a list of important traffic signs, and a vocabulary index--which is only partial. The spoken phrases cover many things: general expressions, numbers, time, colors, personal needs, communications, transportation, and emergency situations. My favorite aspects of this course are the repetition of the German phrases and the clear pronunciation of the native speakers of German. According to the back of this course's plastic encasing, this program is "Based on the widely acclaimed, accelerated learning method developed for U.S. Government personnel." It also states that this course can be used while driving or exercising, and that it is geared towards beginners, business travelers, vacationers, or as a refresher course. I recommend this German-language course.

Rating:
Summary: A good course
Review: This course from Language/30 has been a helpful tool in my study of the German language. This revised, expanded edition was released in 1992. It comes with two cassettes and a phrase book. The audio cassettes total up to 100 minutes. The phrase book--which contains 49 pages--has a transcription of the audio material. As for the German phrases, they are spoken by two native speakers of the language (a man and a woman). The English phrases are handled by a man. English phrases are recited once, while the German equivalents are said twice. The letters of the German alphabet and the sounds of the German language--diphthongs, vowels, and consonants--are spoken only once and are also transcribed in the phrase book. The social customs section, following the German phrases, is not only in the phrase book but also on the cassettes. Even though the audio material is represented in the phrase book, there are things that the phrase book contains that are not heard on the cassettes; there is an essay from Charles Berlitz (a world famous linguist), a table of contents, an informative introduction, pronunciation hints, phonetic pronunciation, footnotes, grammatical notes, a list of important traffic signs, and a vocabulary index--which is only partial. The spoken phrases cover many things: general expressions, numbers, time, colors, personal needs, communications, transportation, and emergency situations. My favorite aspects of this course are the repetition of the German phrases and the clear pronunciation of the native speakers of German. According to the back of this course's plastic encasing, this program is "Based on the widely acclaimed, accelerated learning method developed for U.S. Government personnel." It also states that this course can be used while driving or exercising, and that it is geared towards beginners, business travelers, vacationers, or as a refresher course. I recommend this German-language course.