Pimp Up Your Portuguese With Pimsleur

Why Pimsleur?

First of all, let me say one thing straight out of the chute. I am both excited and proud to have this opportunity to share my experiences and knowledge of this cool, simple to use, practical, yet inexpensive learning software. You see, this was my first taste of Brazilian Portuguese. And it was delicious! Pimsleur was my introduction to the language learning world. Before I started all of this, I never could have imagined I would ever or could ever learn a language.

The very thought of this seemed like just a distant unobtainable dream of mine. I don't mean to say that I am incompetent and or incapable of learning. I am just an ordinary human. I am not, nor ever was, considered an intellectual kind of guy. This is why Pimsleur makes it so easy to learn. Because anybody can learn with this program.

It is the "Pimsleur Method" that makes this possible. No need to learn all the complicating grammar rules or verb conjugations. Everything is delivered right in the lessons for you. All you have to do is listen to the CD's. And this allows you to learn quickly. Just throw in a CD and listen on your way to work, or school, or on your way to the grocery store. How much more practical can that be? So, unless you are writing an essay for that school final in Portuguese, doctor Pimsleur is the man - and he makes house calls.

The man of the hour: Dr. Pimsleur

Dr Paul Pimsleur (1928-1976)

Let me school you with a little short history into Pimsleur a.k.a. Dr Pimsleur. Dr Paul Pimsleur was one of the foremost experts in applied linguistics. He earned his PH.D in French at Columbia University. Upon completing school, he taught French at UCLA. He was also a founding member of the American Council of the Teaching Foreign Languages (ACTFL). In his research, he found a way to gather all the materials of a second language and then organize it and incorporate those materials into the natural flow of speech.

He revolutionized how the brain remembers speech and sound. He focused his language acquisition research on children because this is how we naturally learn language hence, the "Pimsleur Method". When he taught at UCLA, his principal method was via phonetics i.e., through sound. It's easier and quicker to learn a language without learning the formal structure. Only the basics. And for people who need to learn fast, such as our military, or perhaps yourself before your big trip to Rio, this is a must.

I remember my first trip to Brazil. After my first lessons with Pimsleur's audio CD'S. I might have sounded funny during my first conversations with the locals, but at least I knew how to ask for a cup of joe, or "Where's my hotel room?", or "I don't speak Portuguese". But now, thanks to the Pimsleur program, I do speak the language - fluently. After his passing on in 1976, Dr Pimsleur's research continued through a colleague until it was picked up by Simon and Schuster Audio.

What's under the Hood?

Here are the core attributes of the program that make up the "Pimsleur Method". Graduated Interval Recall: By learning words at different intervals in a set period of time. This is the quickest and best way to learn. It is for this reason that Paul Pimsleur revolutionized how the brain remembers sounds. People were able to retain and remember information for long periods of time.

This is what surprised me most about this program. How I was able to remember and retain the info fast. I am not known as a kind of guy who learns quick. The second attribute is Principle of Anticipation: When we engage in conversation with someone, it is natural for us to anticipate what the responses would be. It is a kind of "skill" that we obtained growing up.

Pimsleur figured out a way of harnessing this skill - or power if you will - to work for us. The third attribute Core Vocabulary: Learn core words of a language and you will quickly master the rest of your vocabulary for that particular language, i.e. you will be able to learn a lot more in a shorter period of time. And the last attribute would be Organic Learning: Pimsleur makes learning more meaningful and natural; like you are in your own environment; learning on your own terms and not dictated by education administrators.

Webmaster of http://www.thebrazilianlanguage.com/ - Daniel Baker
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The Brazilian Language Macapá, Amapá, Brazil

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