A 20-lesson interactive multimedia CD-ROM to teach the South African language Xhosa. The CD-ROM incorporates video, sound, graphics and interactive exercises that provide immediate learner feedback. The package provides an accompanying course book with comprehensive grammatical content and further exercises. Level: Beginners to advanced.
FREE Two-Day Shipping for Students. Learn more |
Book Description
Editorial Reviews
Review
The back of the tongue should be raised to touch the soft palate, the upper part of the tip of the tongue pressed tightly between the ridge of the teeth and the hard palate, and the tip of the tongue drawn sharply downwards. Sound exciting? This is just one of the oral contortion acts you will find yourself performing with African Voices Thetha isiXhosa Nathi (Speak Xhosa With Us) interactive self-study course. A foreign languages graduate myself, I am well aware of what it takes to learn a new language, and so it was with a somewhat skeptical attitude that I found myself installing this program. My trepidation however, was short lived. The course consists of a CD-ROM and a manual. Both components are well put together for content and functionality. The CD-ROM comprises a series of simple conversational topics which run through each lesson of the course. -- Electronic Mail and Guardian On-line newspaper July 28, 1999
From the Publisher
Aha! So that's what the Xhosa-speaking recorded voice at the other end of Telkom's directory enquiry service is saying. "Wamkelekile" means welcome. OK, so I figured that much from the English portion of the recorded message. But I've had it confirmed and spelled out for me by "Speak Xhosa With Us", which sets out to teach one of South Africa's most widely spoken languages to beginners using multimedia. Let's see if we click with "Speak Xhosa With Us" as we run it through the Gadget Four Question User Test.
1. Is it ready to use? If you'll allow me some poetic licence, Xos it is. Slap it into your CD ROM, run the setup file and you'll jump right into the isiXhosa setup program. Soon you'll be greeted with the opening music and vibrant title screens for "Thetha isiXhosa Nathi" - Xhosa for Beginners.
2. Is it easy to use? Piece of cake. Navigating through the program is a breeze, and title screens are clear and bold. Lesson objectives are similarly precise. What makes things even simpler is the inclusion of a clear, illustrated workbook. The course is divided into four units, each comprising five lessons. As each lesson progresses, you'll be presented with the grammar and parts of speech that you need. You'll also come across various exercises which, though not obligatory, test your progress. In Unit 1, Lesson 3, you'll get your first chance to record your pronunciation with your tutors. You'll need a simple microphone to do this, which is a pleasant bit of interactive fun. One added feature might be nice: A bookmark so that, if you have to stop in the middle of a lesson, you can return to your place quickly.
3. Does it work as advertised? There's a whole language to learning a language, and you'll be reminded that "concords" don't onlyhang out at airports. No need to get tense, though. The package is warm, unpretentious and appealing, using brightly coloured illustrations and a range of catchy music, in a variety of South AFrican traditional modes. The cool thing about learning from a CD-ROM is that you can listen to a sound, a word, or a click of different teachers, whose voices add variety to the course, and who become quite familiar as you progress. It's a nice touch to introduce these as "fellow students" of the language. They appear throughout the course in short, conversational videos. My favourite is in lesson 18, where Russell gives some advice to Xhosa, whose heart goes boompety-boomp at the thought of Liyanda. So I'm a sucker for romance. So sue me.
4. Is it value for money? Very much so. The package includes a whopping amount of instruction. The workbook is an excellent added bonus, and concretises the learning you've done watching and listening to the CD. The developers, African Voices, can be proud of a fine educational product. I found their approach to be warm, colourful and importantly, not patronising or pretentious.
Gadget November 2 1999 issue
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
More About the Author
Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
0 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
this iz awesome,
By cs'slvr (Long Island, NY USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Speak Xhosa With Us (Book & CD-Rom edition) (Paperback)
this book had an interesting sense of character to it. i liked the way that it gave me a picture in my mind about the african people, how they lived, and their culture...just in case u didnt know, culture is a way of life of a group of people, and it is learned and shared. (Mrs. Bradley, that was for you!). it wuz a good book! you should really read it some time. it took me some time, but within days i was speaking Xhosaken. i was proud of myself, and i then passed the book on to my friends.
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
|
|
Tag this product(What's this?)Think of a tag as a keyword or label you consider is strongly related to this product.
Tags will help all customers organize and find favorite items. |
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
