Customer Reviews

Mandarin II

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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!

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.

The second level continues where the first one left off. Now you learn to play expressions that deal with time - past tense, future tense. You also learn how to construct more complex sentences, more measure words, and the appropriate word order.

While, theoretically, you may go through each lesson only once and while you may feel to excited to find out what comes next, here and there you may want to stay with some lessons longer.

Each lesson does review some of the previous material, but it's really an immerson into the language and constant exposure to the words that makes them stick. If you just go through the lessons once, few months down the road, it may seem that some of what you have learned has evaporated, so it's good to keep on reviewing the lessons, until the words remain impressed upon your mind.

Since Pimsleur doesn't teach you how to write, this may be a good time (if you haven't yet), to pick up additional program that will teach you how to write Chinese characters. One such program is Easy Chinese Tutor, also available on amazon.com

After finishing Mandarin I, I felt as though I had a good feel for the language, but my vocabulary was too limited to be of any real use. Mandarin II solves this problem by introducing the most basic and useful structures which weren't included in Mandarin I (For example, "should, have to, never, always, before, after, etc."). It is almost impossible to carry out basic conversations without these structures. Mandarin II also deals extensively with the past tense (which isn't really a tense) to the point where it can be used, more or less, with confidence.

Mandarin II is very similar to Mandarin I in lesson structure, pace, and quality. Like Mandarin I, the lessons are intense, and they teach so much in such a short time, but they're also very fun. As I worked through Mandarin II, the tones and pronunciation started to shift to the subconscious level and I could successfully combine two falling-rising tones in a sentence without even thinking about it. It's as if I'm absorbing the language naturally. This would have taken forever without Pimsleur. Even with a personal tutor, the use of time wouldn't have been nearly as efficient.

I've also finished Mandarin III (which is also excellent) and I now feel as though I have a good overall knowledge of Mandarin, and my pronunciation is close to perfect (I've been told that I don't have an accent). I am now trying to learning the more advanced aspects of the language through self-study and conversational practice, which is entirely possible after completing this course.

I have sung praises for Pimsleur language tapes/CDs both on Amazon and elsewhere on the net for many years now. I know of no other self-teaching method that gets you up and running in a foreign language so effectively. Indeed, I have completed their full courses (i.e., 3 unabridged volumes) in French, German, Spanish, and Italian as well as their mini-courses in Thai, Hindi, and Czech.

The Pimsleur Mandarin series is excellent, as usual. However, in working with this current series I am reminded once again of a major limitation that never fails to frustrate me. I refer to the basic working script. This differs slightly in content and emphasis from language to language, but is roughly the same throughout all the unabridged courses.

My fundamental problem with all the Pimsleur scripts is that they seem to be oriented toward a (hypothetical) individual working in a foreign subidiary of a multinational corporation. I consider this a problem because it emphasizes social niceties and water-cooler talk instead of practical on-the-ground vocabulary. I mean, sheesh, shouldn't I know the words for east, west, north, and south by lesson 20 of Mandarin II? I frequently find myself tearing out my hair because I am not being given the tools (vocabulary) for successfully negotiating everyday travel situations.

In sum, Pimsleur is a great method for learning a foreign language. I just wish the content of the courses were more strongly focused on the practical, everyday needs of independent travelers.

Don't get me wrong, this is a great system, but don't be mislead into thinking that you will listen to these tapes and begin speaking chinese overnight. I am not good at languages, i am obviously at the other end of the scale from "professordavid" who listened to these tapes in his car and was speaking mandarin within two months. Many of these reviewers must have a natural ability in languages, but for us mere mortals, these tapes will help you, but it will take time and effort. I have to listen to each tape several times for the words and phrases to sink in properly. There is no way i could drive a car and listen at the same time, for me it requires too much concentration. I worked through Mandarin I and am most of the way through this one, but now living in China, it is clear that these tapes only take you part of the way. For example, tt is not possible to clearly establish how a tone is being said on the tape, for example, you cannot tell if a sound is being generated from the front or back of the mouth, or how the tongue is being used. THis it only becomes clear when you are (trying) to communicate with real chinese speakers. Sometimes when i try to communicate with people over here they haven't the faintest idea what i am saying.

After my little tirade, i would say that i still recommend this system without hesistation, just be aware that it may not be as easy as you are led to believe, but hang in there, this stuff works!

To comment on the people who are calling the script predictable and not varied enough, Come on, If you are serious about learning a language with this incredible system, you should have had a good Mandarin to English and back again dictionary since halfway through Mandarin I. The Pmslr CDs teach you the language by giving you an understanding of the sentence structure and the ability to recognize and replicate the tonal system that is the single biggest hurdle to learning Mandarin for an English speaker.

If you want to know east, west, toilette or anything else that isnt on the CDs, just look it up. You will already know how to handle the Pinyin (roman letters used for writing chinese)tones, and the written sylable groupings and how to pronounce them can be learned in a couple days with home made flash cards. Just copy the phenomes out of the front of your dictionary onto note cards with the english phonetic spelling on the back and shuffle and practice. start with 5 to 10 and as you learn them keep adding a few. Trust me this works.

Nobody ever said this set was the end all to an entire language. But as a basic building set it is the best anywhere. Use yr dictionary to learn new words and just plug them into your system. Dont feel bad about doing a lesson over and over or going back for a refresher either.

With this set and a little self motivation you CAN speak mandarin and with a near perfect accent. Go into chinese restrnts and tell them what youre doing and ask them to check your pronounciation too. They will be delighted youre learning and always love to help. Chinese nationals are some of the friendliest most helpful peaople ive ever met anywhere in the world. I've been 6 times for work (as a shoe designer) and Pimsleur has helped me make many friends!

This program really works, as for the booklet, I find out this site has vocabulary match game and flash card practice for
this pimsleur program. It's really cool, I picked up
Chinese characters and Pinyin easily.

<a href="http://www.mandarin123.com/pimsleur/mandarinlevel2.html">vocabulary practice</a>

http://www.mandarin123.com/pimsleur/mandarinlevel2.html

I was hoping level II would pick up the pace a bit, but it doesn't really. Each 30-minute lesson introduces about 3-5 new vocabulary words. I definitely learned by using this series, and got good practice. But the most common reason I turned it off was that I was bored being asked to repeat an identical phrase for the 10th time.

It's also annoying that new words are very often only used in a single phrase. For example, when they introduce the word "just" it is only used in the phrase "just staying a few days." There are many other phrases that could be made using the new word combined with other words the series has taught that would both make the series more interesting and useful.