Arabic (Egyptian) (Pimsleur Language Program) [Audiobook] [Audio Cassette]

Pimsleur (Author)

Book Description

Series: Pimsleur Language Program | Publication Date: September 1, 1997

With Pimsleur Language Programs you don't just study a language, you learn it -- the same way you mastered English! And because the technique relies on interactive spoken language training, the Pimsleur Language Programs are totally audio -- no book is needed!

The Pimsleur programs provide a method of self-practice with an expert teacher and native speakers in lessons specially designed to work with the way the mind naturally acquires language information. The various components of language -- vocabulary, pronunciation and grammar -- are all learned together without rote memorization and drills. Using a unique method of memory recall developed by renowned linguist, Dr. Paul Pimsleur, the programs teach listeners to combine words and phrases to express themselves the way native speakers do. By listening and responding to thirty minute recorded lessons, students easily and effectively achieve spoken proficiency.

No other language program or school is as quick, convenient, and effective as the Pimsleur Language Programs.

The Comprehensive Program is the ultimate in spoken language learning. For those who want to become proficient in the language of their choice, the Comprehensive programs go beyond the Basic Programs to offer spoken-language fluency. Using the same simple method of interactive self-practice with native speakers, these comprehensive programs provide a complete language learning course. The Comprehensive Program is available in a wide variety of languages and runs through three levels (thirty lessons each) in French, German, Italian, Japanese, Russian and Spanish. At the end of a full Comprehensive Program listeners will be conducting complete conversations and be well on their way to mastering the language. The Comprehensive Programs are all available on cassettes and are also on CD in the six languages in which we offer the Basic Program on CD.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Dr. Pimsleur devoted his life to language teaching and was one of the world's leading experts in applied linguistics. After obtaining his Ph.D. in French from Columbia University, he taught French Phonetics and Phonemics, and supervised the language laboratory at UCLA. He went on to become Professor of Romance Languages and Language Education, and Director of The Listening Center at Ohio State University; Professor of Education and Romance Languages at the State University of New York at Albany; and a Fulbright lecturer at the University of Heidelberg. Dr. Pimsleur was a member of the American Association of Teachers of French (AATF), American Educational Research Association (AERA), Modern Language Association (MLA), and a founding member of the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL). His many books and articles revolutionized theories of language learning and teaching. After years of experience and research, Dr. Pimsleur developed a new method that is based on two key principles: the Principle of Anticipation and a scientific principle of memory that he called Graduated Interval Recall. This program incorporates both of these principles to provide you with the most simple and effective learning method possible. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Audio Cassette
• Publisher: Pimsleur; 10 lesson edition (September 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0671579061
• ISBN-13: 978-0671579067
• Product Dimensions: 10.2 x 7.6 x 2.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,429,017 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #31 in Books > Books on Cassette > Languages > Arabic

More About the Author

Dr. Paul Pimsleur (b. 1926, d. 1976) devoted his life to language teaching and testing and was one of the world's leading experts in applied linguistics. He was fluent in French, good in German, and had a working knowledge of Italian, Russian, Modern Greek, and Mandarin Chinese. After obtaining his Ph.D. in French and a Masters in Psychology from Columbia University, he taught French Phonetics and Linguistics at UCLA. He later became Professor of Romance Languages and Language Education, and Director of The Listening Center (a state-wide language lab) at Ohio State University; Professor of Education and Romance Languages at the State University of New York at Albany; and a Fulbright lecturer at the University of Heidelberg. He did research on the psychology of language learning and in 1969 was Section Head of Psychology of Second Language Learning at the International Congress of Applied Linguistics.

Dr. Pimsleur was a member of the American Association of Teachers of French (AATF), American Educational Research Association (AERA), Modern Language Association (MLA), and a founding member of the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL).

His many books and articles revolutionized theories of language learning and teaching. After years of experience and research, Dr. Pimsleur developed a new method (The Pimsleur Method) that is based on two key principles: the Principle of Anticipation and a scientific principle of memory training that he called "Graduated Interval Recall." This Method has been applied to the many levels and languages of the "Pimsleur Programs."

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

38 of 40 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars perfect for a trip to Damascus, March 29, 2005

By 

J. Spencer - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Eastern Arabic, 2nd edition (Audio CD)

Note that these CDs are specifically in the Damascus dialect, ask a native speaker if that dialect will work where you are going. My wife is Syrian from Damascus, and I found these tapes much more useful than the class I took from an Egyptian teacher. The spoken dialects are very different. Now my wife's family is actually understanding the things I say, it's worth every penny.

My guess is that the critical review below stems from trying to use the Eastern Arabic CDs for a trip to Egypt. You have to get the Egyptian CDs to learn the Egyptian dialect. Egyptians struggle to understand my wife, they are probably not going to understand an English speaker trying to speak the Damascus dialect.

27 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Pimsleur Eastern Arabic I, 2nd Edition (Syrian Dialect), March 2, 2007

By 

Karl Thorsson (Reykjavík, Iceland) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Eastern Arabic, 2nd edition (Audio CD)

This is a review of Pimsleur's Eastern Arabic I, 2nd Edition
Updated 19 August 2009

ABSOLUTELY SUPERB!!!
FIVE STARS HANDS DOWN, 10/10
Crystal Clear Speech from native Syrian speakers

NOTE
This is the first installment in the Eastern Arabic series. After you complete this course you can directly go on to
Pimsleur Eastern Arabic II, Copyright 2006. After completing the latter you can jump to Pimsleur Eastern Arabic III, Copyright 2008.

Pimsleur's 1st edition of Arabic (Eastern) I will not help you make a smooth transition into Eastern Arabic II. Therefore I highly recommend you study with this product, namely Pimsleur's Eastern Arabic I, 2nd Edition.

To illustrate a different aspect of Arabic study I will elaborate further:
If one learns MSA (Modern Standard Arabic), one will learn the language of the Koran, aka Classical Arabic, this is a language used in books, not a language used to communicate with people on a regular basis.
If John Doe learns MSA, he will be eventually understood when he speaks in a shop, and then his interlocutor will respond to John in his/her local dialect, which John will find unintelligible and then the conversation will be over. Nevertheless, if John Doe learns a dialect such as Eastern (Syrian) or Egyptian, he will have a better chance of understanding the response from his Arabic speaking interlocutor.

In my opinion, this is the best Arabic Course if you are headed to Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, the Palestinian Territories, where Eastern Arabic is spoken. Additionally, after completing this course, I personally have not had much difficulty in communicating with people from Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Yemen, Bahrain, Kuwait, UAE (where Gulf Arabic is spoken). Note that Iraqis speak Iraqi Arabic which is different but similar to Syrian, but you will still be able to communicate. The Gulf dialect is also different but more similar to Syrian than Egyptian.

If you are heading for Egypt, you should get Pimsleur Egyptian Arabic instead. Egyptian and Eastern, while sharing the same root have evolved over the centuries.

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent starting point, November 18, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Arabic (Egyptian) (Pimsleur Language Program) (Audio Cassette)

What an excellent starting point! Unlike most tapes, this set was slow enough to keep up with and breaks down the pronunciation of a word into manageable pieces. The repetition is helpful to remember the vocabulary. I used it in the car going to work everyday and finished all the tapes in one month. My only regret is that there isn't another expanded set available.