Beginning Turkish (Critical Languages Series) [DVD-ROM]

Andras J.E. Bodrogligeti (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 192998605X | ISBN-13: 978-1929986057 | Publication Date: January 1, 2000 | Edition: 1

Despite the fact that they are spoken by millions of people, languages such as Korean or Turkish are not usually offered in schools or colleges. The Critical Languages Program (CLP) at the University of Arizona was created to meet the need for interactive instruction in these less-commonly-taught languages. In order to meet the needs of a wide variety of learners who wish to gain proficiency in some of these languages, CLP has developed a series of CD-ROM courseware beginning with Brazilian Portuguese, Cantonese, Kazakh, Korean, Mandarin Chinese, and Turkish. CD-ROMs for other less-commonly-taught languages are planned for the future. Each package contains two CD-ROMs with a total of twenty lessons for the beginning learner, consisting of video dialogues and readings by native speakers, thousands of audio recordings, graphics, and extensive notes. Handy browser features enable users to go back and review words and pronunciations and to access five types of exercises: multiple choice, fill-in-the-blank, audio flashcard, pronunciation, and listening dictation. These exercises enable users to test and improve their knowledge of each lesson. Learners with microphone-equipped computers can record and play back their own voices and then compare their pronunciation with that of the native speaker. With the click of a button, learners can hear native speakers pronounce words or phrases, facilitating quick comprehension of these challenging languages. Each package of two CD-ROMs contains the equivalent of a textbook and workbook with audio and video components, making it practical for either self-instruction or directed educational, governmental, and business purposes.





Works on Windows 2000/XP/Vista/7. For more information, visit the UA Critical Languages Web site at http://clp.arizona.edu/cls/

Product Details

• DVD-ROM
• Publisher: University of Arizona Critical Languages Program; 1 edition (January 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 192998605X
• ISBN-13: 978-1929986057
• Product Dimensions: 5.6 x 4.9 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #142,716 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #6 in Books > Education & Reference > Foreign Languages > Turkish
  • #6 in Books > Education & Reference > Foreign Languages > Instruction > Turkish

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Absolute BEST I've Found, July 12, 2006

By 

Tom Trueman "language scholar" (Vancouver, BC Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Beginning Turkish (Critical Languages Series) (DVD-ROM)

I had bought and tried just about every Turkish language course available, and could actually get by pretty well in Turkish on my trips to Istanbul.

I decided, though, that it was time for me to REALLY learn the language in depth, and get beyond tourist-level Turkish. This course, in the University of Arizona's Critical Languages Series, is exactly what I wanted and needed. It's a gold mine of real idiomatic usage that can leave foreigners dumbfounded if they haven't learned the colourful ways Turkish thoughts can be expressed. (Instead of "Congratulations" for example, you say "Your eyes are bright !" Whoever would have known that?)

Best of all, the 9,400 audio recordings on the CD-ROM are all spoken at a realistic pace. There's nothing more discouraging than learning from speech that is artificially slow and precise, only to be blown away the very first time someone speaks to you at a natural rate.

There is a videoclip at the beginning of each lesson, and it's wonderful to see an actual person speaking to you, instead of just hearing a disembodied voice. Then you can have each passage or dialogue read to you from beginning to end, or just sentence-by-sentence, or even word-by-word if you choose, which enables you to work on your pronunciation and resolve comprehension difficulties. The speakers repeat for you, tirelessly, at every click of the left mouse button -- and they'll give you the English equivalent if you click the right button instead.

There's also an Intermediate Turkish course available in the same series, this time on DVD-ROM, with "you are there" video segments showing glimpses of the country and its people, with conversations and interviews with Turkish speakers.

If you're a serious language learner, and want to get far past phrasebook language, this is definitely the course for you.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This Product is Great for Anyone Who is Serious About Learning Turkish!, December 14, 2008

By 

nascarnut (Virginia) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Beginning Turkish (Critical Languages Series) (DVD-ROM)

This is a great product for anyone who actually wants to learn Turkish. I've tried many other products including Rosetta Stone with little success most products teach you no more than a few tourist phrases. Most programs are fine for people who are traveling to Turkey on vacation or business but they're not designed for people who actually want to learn the language and don't have access to Turkish classes. This CD ROM is different its actually designed for people that don't have access to Turkish classes. This is by far the best product I've tried because it features native speakers talking at regular speed and is very realistic. What I mean by that is that although all of the products I've tried have native speakers speaking Turkish they speak it at an artificially show speed so when you actually try to talk to a native speaker it is hard to keep up with them because there's so much faster than you're used to in this program addresses that problem in the videos so you get used to the speed of the native speakers and you won't be so overwhelmed when you talk to a native speaker. I've had this product for approximately 4 weeks I love it so much that I have already purchased the intermediate level CD-ROM. That's how confident I am in this program. My recommendation is if you're serious about learning Turkish you should purchase this product it is more effective and costs way less than most other products. If I would've known about this sooner I would not spent money on all those other products. I love this product its awesome for anyone who is serious about learning Turkish!

0 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars First impression, December 26, 2007

By 

Thorkil Svensgaard - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Beginning Turkish (Critical Languages Series) (DVD-ROM)

The course seems built in a quite rigid form. It's not easy for the student, to adapt the course to his/her best way of absorbing the language.