Mandarin II [Audiobook, Unabridged] [Audio CD]

Pimsleur Language Programs (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0743506618 | ISBN-13: 978-0743506618 | Publication Date: January 1, 2002 | Edition: Unabridged

Mandarin is the official language in Mainland China, Taiwan, and Singapore. The Mandarin dialect is used in most Chinese schools, colleges, and universities, and in most TV programs, movies, and radio stations throughout the country. Mandarin is one of the five official languages of the UN.

Comprehensive Mandarin Chinese II includes 30 additional lessons (16 hrs.), which build upon the language skills acquired in Level I. Increased spoken language ability. Also includes a Culture Booklet

Level II will double your vocabulary and grammatical structures while increasing your spoken proficiency exponentially. Upon completion of a Level II, you will be able to:

* engage in fuller conversations involving yourself, your family, daily activities, interests and personal preferences,

* combine known elements into increasingly longer sentences and strings of sentences,

* create with language and function in informal situations,

* deal with concrete topics in the past, present, and future,

* meet social demands and limited job requirements.

Note: In order for the Pimsleur Method to work correctly, you must first complete the Level I language program before proceeding to the Level II language program.

Editorial Reviews

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; Unabridged edition (January 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0743506618
• ISBN-13: 978-0743506618
• Product Dimensions: 13.2 x 11.6 x 2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #365,355 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

79 of 79 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Learning while u drive works..., August 24, 2002

By 

David M "professordavid" (Zionsville, IN USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mandarin II (Audio CD)

I wrote a review on Pimsleur Mandarin I. Excellent set. Waited for II. Now it's out. PM II maintains the excellent standards of volume I.

Two months after getting PM II, I went to Beijing for a science meeting (for ten days). I was in excellent shape. Nearly everyone understood me: waiters, shop people (bargains galore), taxi drivers, etc. I never quite had the time to master volume II like I did volume I. But the best thing is the diction and sound that you CANNOT get from a book alone. Pimsleur uses stock phrases to a point, and then mixes them and creates new ideas. Sentences do become longer (occasioanlly they are so long I can't remember them to translate -- I am after all driving). It is not a trivial list of slogans. You actually learn. They speak at a pace that forces you to become more fluid and conversant -- but you can replay the units. Of course it cannot mimic the spontaneity of real-life conversations, but it does an excellent job nevertheless.

Pimsleur is best if regular opportunities exist to practice. Pimsleur is not that simple, yet it is comfortable and thorough. The different arenas: eating, travel about town, "small talk", are all well chosen. I used all of them in Beijing-- some more haltingly than others, some comfortably naturally.

I now hear most tones the first time. I still don't quite stress them strongly enough (I discovered this while there). The down-and-up tone is really emphasized. The daily practice is getting my tongue more and more comfortable with the unusual sounds and twists.

I still think it's a bit pricey. I have the convenience of sitting in a college class -- which does NOT give the oral practice that Pimsleur does, but the class does give me a wider understanding of context and word order.

I will get Pimsleur III when it comes out. I'm serious about learning the language. I think Pimsleur can deliver a lot, but not everything. It is convenient, CDs don't wear out, and I'll keep reviewing. You need to find supplemental ways to expand the dialog still. I AM a satisfied Pimsleur fan.

26 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Addictive, and great results to boot, June 21, 2006

By 

Jethro Manjay "j'ai trop mangé" (Carlisle, PA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mandarin II (Audio CD)

I wrote a good review of volume I. Now I'm on the last lesson of volume II (and I treated myself to volume III for Father's Day). Pimsleur Mandarin is wonderful in the way it teaches you sentence structure. You will need another source to accumulate vocabulary (perhaps Rosetta Stone, which I completed and is strong on vocab but weak on grammar).

For instance, after 59 lessons with Pimsleur, I have been told only one color: green. (From Rosetta Stone, I know many colors). But I can ask "At what time did you drink GREEN tea with Mr. Chen's wife in Beihai Park?" and keep it straight. (In Rosetta, I could say green car, blue car, red car, yellow car. See the difference?)

As far as the plot is concerned, whereas volume I seemed focused on the effort of a man to drink beer with a reticent woman at his place, volume II is set in the world of business. They work hard, and they play hard: The speakers keep trying to invite each other to play tennis or drink green tea. But the timing is always wrong:"I have to excuse myself, I have a meeting at two o'clock. Tomorrow's impossible: I'm taking a business trip to Nanjing."

I haven't been to China since I started Pimsleur. But when I do little experiments in Chinese restaurants, I feel much more comfortable that with Rosetta alone under my belt (although the Rosetta vocabulary is valuable).

A great adjunct (and free too): chinesepod.com available at their website and at iTunes. Measuring myself on chinesepod.com, I am now better than elementary, and not quite intermediate (there is also newbie and advanced).

One last thought: Simon and Shuster recommend moving on to the next lesson when you feel 80% proficient with the present one. I wait until I'm 100% proficient and the answers come almost automatically to me. It takes about 3 to 4 repeats of each lesson. At that price, I don't feel like rushing through it!

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Still the best, August 8, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Mandarin II (Audio CD)

I waited a few years for this, and it was worth it. I'm a native English speaker, and I've dabbled in German, Spanish and Japanese, but I still think that Mandarin is the easiest language I've ever learned. It is a straightforward, simple, flexible and consistent language with no surprises. The tones are not that hard to learn; there are basically only four of them, and you learn them by experience and practice, and by HEARING and REMEMBERING them, not by memorizing. All in all a very well-done and polished production. According to the Amazon release date, Mandarin III should be out February 2003; can't wait! I also hope they do a fourth level, like they have with the German and Spanish.