Customer Reviews

Twi

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

 

 

It's a surprisingly easy way to learn some basic Twi. In terms of content, there isn't a great deal here. There are 10 lessons on 5 tapes - each lesson lasts about 30 minutes. I had to listen to each tape about 4 or 5 times before I really mastered it. But, when I went to Ghana, I was able to ask directions, ask for food and beer, tell a taxi driver where I wanted to go etc. (much to the amusement of every Twi speaker I met). As with learning most languages, it's one thing to be understood but quite another to understand any reply that comes back at you. Pimsleur will help you to be understood - after that you are on your own. (But, since almost everyone in Ghana speaks good English, they will probably help you out). There is also a very useful booklet that accompanies the tapes which lists every word or phrase used (in English-Twi and Twi-English) and tells you in which lesson it first appears. You are told on the tapes to just listen and repeat what you hear, and only refer to the booklet for the reading exercises. However, sometimes the speakers go fairly quickly and it's a little difficult to pick up what they are saying. I found it easier to look up the phrases in the book as they were being introduced, because seeing the words written down gave me more of an idea of the sounds I should be aiming for. In short, this course is a great place to start if you want to learn a little Twi.

As long as you ae determined to learn an foreign language, this course is for you. It lays the basic foundations for more progressed learning and you really do remember the language meanings. My only criticism is that because Twi is an highly vocal language where sounds have real meaning, some parts of the tape do not take time to break-down some of the words being spoken. Overall a good priced learning aid.

The Language program is excellent for those Ghanaians who struggle with their native language. It can add to whatever basic knowledge you may have, or it can guide you if you have no baseline to draw from. It's limitation is that it may be slow to start for those who know some Twi already, but it builds confidence, and it will help you the next time you're among Ghanaians!

This product is helpful to give you a basic tutorial of simple interaction phrases within the TWI dialect. The words and phrases that you learn will be useful if you are a tourist and need directions on getting places, or if you just want to be polite and courteaous to show that you made an effort to learn the native language.
I was dissapointed though to find that the lessons did not go onto a higher level of complexity. The lessons here are very simple and the tapes have a lot of blank space at the end of each lesson I am still searching for Twi audio tapes that have higher levels of difficulty.

Really enjoy listening and repeating. Have been practicing with my husband and hopefully will be able to correspond with my husband's family when we return to Ghana. Only down side is too much blank time elapsed - tapes not very long.

This is designed for the visitor to Ghana, and as such has some good drills for learning many of the basic phrases that a tourist might need. Emphasis is placed on pronounciation, which is important - I can't imagine trying to study Twi without the audio component. I think it also does a good job of introducing basic conventions of social interaction in Ghana. It is not that helpful if you want to study Twi beyond very basic communication, especially in terms of understanding what people say to you as opposed to what you want to say to them, but that has a lot to do with the briefness of the series (5 cassettes, each with about 45 mins. of instruction) as well.

One interesting note - with the redenomination of the currency in July 2007, the drills involving money will become relevant again (for example, one segment involves buying items worth 1 cedi, and 3 pesewas, which isn't even possible with the current currency, as 1 cedi is worth about 1/100th of a U.S. penny and pesewas are out of circulation. The tapes were made in the 1970s, when the currency was much stronger. After July, 1 cedi will be worth about 90 cents, and pesewas will be back in circulation, which works out quite nicely!)

I love it and when my husband talks to his friends I'm gradually understanding. The only thing I want now is a more fluent audiotape for the Twi language.(Will that come out soon?)The moral of this story is I love it and I will love to order a fluent audiotape so please come out with another one please. Thank You.

I'm glad I purchased the Twi tapes. I had been looking for a self-teaching Twi language system for a while. They fit my needs. Now you need to come out with an advanced version, Twi II. Thanks.