Chinese (Cantonese), Conversational: Learn to Speak and Understand Cantonese Chinese with Pimsleur Language Programs (Pimsleur Instant Conversation) [Abridged, Audiobook] [Audio CD]

Pimsleur (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0743551168 | ISBN-13: 978-0743551168 | Publication Date: February 6, 2006 | Edition: Abridged

Cantonese, one of several major languages in China, is mainly spoken in Hong Kong, Guangdong, the Guangxi provinces, and in most overseas Chinese communities in Australia, Europe, and North America. Pimsleur's Cantonese teaches Cantonese as spoken in Hong Kong.

Chinese (Cantonese), Conversational

• Sixteen 30-minute lessons of spoken Cantonese Chinese language instruction. These sixteen lessons are the same as the first sixteen lesson of Pimsleur's 30-Unit Comprehensive Program.
• Each lesson includes an introductory conversation, and new vocabulary and structures and includes practice for vocabulary introduced in previous lessons.
• Essential grammar and vocabulary. Topics include: greetings, numbers, meals, shopping, telling time, scheduling activities, and asking and giving directions.
• No mindless repetition! Converse with native speakers in natural (and useful!) conversations.
• Easy, fast, fun and effective language acquisition.
• Completely Audio - anytime, anywhere. No computer necessary! Unlike expensive software programs which tie learners to a computer, Pimsleur courses are available in CD or mp3 format to meet your needs.
• Receive an instant credit of $150 to trade up from the Conversational to the full Level 1 Comprehensive CD course.

Pimsleur® equals success. Just one 30-minute lesson a day gets you speaking and understanding like no other program.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Pimsleur programs provide plenty of positive reinforcement that will keep learners on track, and we found that Pimsleur gave us more proficiency and confidence in speaking the new language than any of the other language programs we reviewed." -- AudioFile Magazine

"EXTREMELY ACCESSIBLE...each section within the lessons is short enough to hold our attention, and there is enough repetition to teach even those who consider themselves slow learners...Pimsleur [programs] are extremely thorough and easy to use -- quite lively!" -- Boston Herald

"Learn French while commuting, German while jogging, Spanish (or Russian, Italian, and Japanese) while cooking all with NO WRITTEN MATERIALS!" -- New York Daily News

"Designed for the ear and not the eye...the lessons provide PERFECT 30-minute bites of work." -- St Louis Post-Dispatch

"Learn to habla español or parlez français before your next trip aboard. The interactive LESSONS CHALLENGE STUDENTS to use new words in conversation instead of memorize them." -- American Way (American Airlines inflight magazine)

"I tried other language programs with little success...This is the best by far!" -- Pamela A. Mitchell, Pilot, International Society of Women Airline Pilots

About the Author

Dr. Paul Pimsleur devoted his life to language teaching and testing and was one of the world’s leading experts in applied linguistics. After years of experience and research, Dr. Pimsleur developed The Pimsleur Method 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.

Product Details

• Audio CD
• Publisher: Pimsleur; Abridged edition (February 6, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0743551168
• ISBN-13: 978-0743551168
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 7.9 x 2.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #142,659 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Started learning at age 21 in college, now studying again at age 51, August 14, 2006

By 

The Messenger "Tony" (Lompoc, Ca, U.S.A.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Chinese (Cantonese), Conversational: Learn to Speak and Understand Cantonese Chinese with Pimsleur Language Programs (Pimsleur Instant Conversation) (Audio CD)

Although the conversational Cantonese used is correct...many of the word phrases could be greatly improved with more commonplace word usage and phrases. A small written booklet - written in the romanized Yale system for conversational Cantonese would be most help for those of us 21yrs. and older:who's native tongue is English.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars WOrks really well, May 7, 2008

By 

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

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Chinese (Cantonese), Conversational: Learn to Speak and Understand Cantonese Chinese with Pimsleur Language Programs (Pimsleur Instant Conversation) (Audio CD)

I listen to it on the way to work. I am up to lesson 12 and it really works. Not enough vocabulary for general use, but it gets you off to a wonderful start. I now know the chinese girls at work often talk about eating.

I rcommend it over Berlitz or the other brands. This is taylored to the cantonese language and it teaches you in a natural way.

Warning. If you have the Basic Contonese, the first five discs are the same.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fun, easy and effective, even if you're not a kid, January 14, 2009

By 

D. Altman - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Chinese (Cantonese), Conversational: Learn to Speak and Understand Cantonese Chinese with Pimsleur Language Programs (Pimsleur Instant Conversation) (Audio CD)

I'm in my 50s and an absolute beginner at Cantonese. The speakers are clear and easy to follow, the words and conversations are useful right from the start, and the 30 minute format is manageable. I play the disks on my way to work.

Each lesson incorporates what you learned on previous disks into the new conversations, so there's plenty of reinforcement while you learn new words and sentences--no need to feel overwhelmed. I'm on Lesson 9, and on a recent visit to Chinatown I was already able to understand some words and phrases.

A little booklet tells you how to use the disks and how you'll know when you're ready to advance to the next lesson. Although the instructions suggest one lesson per day, I find I usually need 3-5 plays for each lesson before I feel I'm ready. You might need more or less repetitions. I feel confident that I'll be "conversational" in basic Cantonese in a few weeks.

I'm really pleased with this product.