Customer Reviews

Teach Yourself Nepali Complete Course

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This book is a good guide to the basics of the spoken nepali language. You will get a good grasp of all the basics of grammar, reading, writing, and speaking. It moves at a fairly good pace and includes some insights into the Nepali culture and way of life too. I had the chance to take a Nepali class at Cornell this summer and my professor knew both authors very well and held them both in high regards for their expertise in designing an effective language learning guide. I gave it four stars because it does not touch on the importance of 'boltaciko nepali' colloquial nepali, or slang. You will find in your encounters with Nepali nationals that much like English their language is one that is not spoken the way it is presented in the grammar book. Keep this in mind as you learn, but I would highly recommend the book, to give you a strong foundation, and if you master it's contents you will be well on your way to being an effective speaker.

This book is an excellent resource for learning the language. It has an incredible pronounciation section and sections of dialogue that help also in understanding the culture of Nepal. i really recommend this book for somebody who is interested in fully undestanding the languauge. The writing section is also very helpful if you with to learn Nepali script. Be sure to also order the tape that accompanies the book because it helps to hear the pronounciation keys as well.

Okay, I used a latin phrase because I do not yet know how to say " buyer beware!" in Nepali....

Here is the rub: I bought this book thinking it *came* with the CDs but it does not. It is meant to be used with 2 CDs, but they need to be purchased separately. I see from one of the comments below that I am not the only one who made this assumption. I ended up phoning the publisher, McGraw Hill, to order the CDs. I see now that Amazon has added them to this section as well, presumably after I sent some feedback ( for which I give positive credit Amazon - they have always been responsive to me...)

Now, I am studying the book like crazy, still working on the Nagari chapter. It seems as though learning the syllabary is the way to go, but this is a daunting task. If you are not willing to learn the syllabary ( making the flash cards etc) then this book is clearly not for you: most of the examples in the later chapters consist solely of text that is written in Nagari.

A quick word about nagari script: there are 11 vowels, 33 consonants, and also 150 "conjuncts" as well as 11 sets of diacritical marks used to connote which vowel goes with a consonant. so, it is not for the faint at heart!

And so, I have yet to get the Cds in the mail but I await them with bated breath....

This is an excellent book for those who have some working knowledge of Nepali and the Devnagri script. It is dense, but well organized. The book alone may be a bit daunting for beginners.

I ordered this langauge program in anticipation of my trip to Nepal. It's a solid language program that uses the same format that was used when I learned French in Jr. High and High School.

However, learning a language well, as this program intends for its students, is not a solitary venture. I realize now I should have ordered a cd/dvd program that would teach me the basics such as hello, goodbye, how are you, what's your name, my name is, where is, how much, etc., etc.

If you have a group of friends to practice consonant & vowel sounds, verb tenses, and formatted dialogues, then this is a great program.

Book cam on time brand new but recycle material. This book is written by a professor who has very strong back ground both English and Nepali literature.I am Nepali and I bought this book for my dearly wife who's mother tongue is not Nepali. Now with help of this book she is learning Nepali faster than I thought.

The Teach Yourself Nepali products are a little confusing, so be careful when ordering:

* Teach Yourself Nepali Complete Course Audiopackage (Paperback) -- This is the one you probably want, the course book and 2 CDs. Note the "Audiopackage" in the title.
* Teach Yourself Nepali Complete Course (Paperback) -- This is the course book only, without the CDs. (If you click on the "Paperback (2)" link it will take you to the one with the CDs, or back if you're on the Audiopackage page)
* Teach Yourself Nepali (Teach Yourself Complete Courses) [AUDIOBOOK] -- I have to assume that this is a reading of the book, not the 2 CDs that accompany the course book in the first package, although I haven't seen the item.

I've just received the Audiopackage, and will update my review once I've spent some time trying to learn a little Nepali.

If you order the correct package, the "complete audiopackage," you will receive the audio CD's. This is a great Nepali language course if you are a dedicated student. The course requires you to learn Devanagari script and if you're not going to do that, then you don't want this course. I am an experienced language learner and would have preferred a little better organization in teaching the grammar and verb conjugation. It is a little confusing in that respect. Overall, I think its a great course for the money.

Finding resources for under-studied languages like Nepali is extremely difficult. It's a shame that this is one of the few books out there that teaches Nepali.

I don't like the organization of the book. It doesn't teach you vocabulary, grammar, or phrases in a logical order.

Learning the script was difficult since the book doesn't contain very much information on how to do so.

This book should be used with another book about Nepali. But I have to warn you that the Nepali words aren't always transliterated the same way in two books.

Brandon Simpson

This is an effective and balanced book. I found that it kept a good balance between pace of material encountered and ease of aquisition. It has quite a bit, takes it at a good pace, yet without overwhelming all at once. I have given it 4 stars not because it is lacking, but only with the hope that a great book will be made even better in new editions.