Rosetta Stone: Swahili Explorer

by Fairfield Language Technologies

Product Details

• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B00002S74S
• Item model number: 045-22
• Date first available at Amazon.com: May 10, 2002
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #21,758 in Software (See Top 100 in Software)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes

Product Description

Amazon.com Review

It is a credit to Fairfield Language Technologies that its Swahili Explorer is not only the only Swahili learning software available on the market, but also one of the best examples of language-learning software--period. If you are used to the old-fashioned but lamentably persistent grammar-translation method of learning languages, Swahili Explorer may surprise you because it involves no overt instruction in grammar or lists of vocabulary with English translations. Instead, it relies on very clever contextualization of Swahili words and structures with photographs so that you never realize you're learning grammar. We literally found ourselves speaking and understanding quite a bit of basic Swahili in about an hour.

Each graduated lesson works like this: first, you learn a new word by seeing a picture of, say, a boy. You then read the Swahili word for "boy" and hear it spoken: mvulana. After learning a whole set of words this way, you move into self-quizzing mode where you see just a picture of a boy and you have to pick the right word--either from spoken cues or from written cues. This emphasis on listening comprehension is fantastic and is one of the components that sets the software apart--but there are also reading and writing exercises.

So how do they cover grammar? Eventually, for instance, you'll see mvulana under a picture of one boy and wavulana under a picture of two boys. If you are a grammar guru, you might be able to figure out that "singular nouns start in m-, plural nouns start in wa-." However, the beauty is you don't have to be a grammar guru at all because the software doesn't expect you to state rules like that--it expects you only to associate a picture of more than one boy with wavulana instead of mvulana. Eventually you get into longer phrases that cover verbs, adjectives, and prepositional phrases too. It's amazingly effortless, especially so for children as young as 6.

Caveats: The CD-ROM includes both Mac OS and Windows versions. Your installation will include the first-level lessons of a couple dozen other languages for free, too, so you have to know that the Swahili word for "Swahili" is Kiswahili in order to select it from the list. Also, remember that software is no replacement for Swahili-speaking people, so take what you learn out and use it in the world! --Erik Macki

Amazon.com Product Description

Now you can learn a new language with the award-winning method used by the U.S. State Department to train diplomats. Proven effective by NASA astronauts, Peace Corps volunteers, and millions of students worldwide, the Rosetta Stone Language Library teaches new languages faster and easier than ever before.

We all learn our childhood language by associating new words and phrases with the world around us. The Rosetta Stone method replicates this process by presenting vivid, real-life images to convey the meaning of each new phrase. Instead of translating, memorizing, and studying rules of grammar, you actually learn to think in the new language. Vocabulary and grammar are integrated systematically, leading to everyday proficiency. It's the natural way to learn.

The Rosetta Stone Explorer contains 22 lessons for beginning learners with nearly 900 real-life images and phrases spoken by native speakers. It develops all key language skills--listening comprehension, reading, speaking, and writing--while its systematic structure teaches vocabulary and grammar naturally, without lists and drills. Includes previews, exercises, and tests for every lesson, with automated tutorials throughout the program. (Ages 6 and older)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Very frustrating, April 20, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Rosetta Stone: Swahili Explorer (CD-ROM)

I had no prior knowledge of Swahili and found this program very frustrating. No English is used to explain what the Swahili sentences mean, only pictures. In every unit there were 4 or 5 words that I could not figure out simply from the pictures. Also, know instrcution is given about the grammer. I would realize that something is being conjugated, but could not figure out why.

Over all, I was very frustrated.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A good supplementary tool, June 4, 2002

By 

Eklektik1980 "koala1980" (Grosse Pointe Park, Michigan United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Rosetta Stone: Swahili Explorer (CD-ROM)

Ninafikiri software hili ni zuri! ( I think this software is good)Especially if you've already taken some courses in Kiswahili.One of the previous reviewers mentioned that they were frustrated with the program and I can understand that a person completely unfamiliar with the language would be baffled. So for this reason, I say that it's a good supplementary tool. I definitely think that it helps to reinforce some concepts,but do agree that the software could be improved in some ways. More features would be nice ,but I'm sure in the future editions I will see such things. I know one complaint for this software may be about the repetitiveness of some activities,but in language you really can't have enough of this. Afterall, if one wants to build correctly, one needs a solid foundation. Haba na haba hujaza kibaba ( little by little fills the measure). I recommend this to anybody looking for some extra study aids in Kiswahili, it's worth it.

Iwapo nia pana njia! -Where there is a will, there is a way!

4.0 out of 5 stars Very intuitive way of learning, March 31, 2000

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Rosetta Stone: Swahili Explorer (CD-ROM)

This product is great in helping me brush up on my Swahili. It's fun & motivating to go through (rather than just trying to do little book exercises & never know if you're right or wrong). It's a great way to learn if you don't have an instructor to give feedback.

Only problems are: the pronunciation check fails pretty often -- either it doesn't create a voice print for the native speaker, or it doesn't stop recording after I finish speaking the phrase, so I get no information on how close my pronunciation was. I end up doing the same phrases over and over trying to get it to work correctly (I guess I get practice, though!)

I'm also not sure how easy it would be for someone with no knowledge of Swahili to learn the grammar this way. It is very different from English and I think a little instruction on the nature of the grammar would help a lot. I find that I look up some words in the dictionary to be sure when they mean as I am going along. For most examples, though, it is clear.