Is Pimsleur worth it? |
See the review on YouTube |
I evaluate Pimsleur, an audio-based language-learning program. Continue reading or click the image above to watch on Youtube...
Wordplay:Spanish Vocabulary Builder |
I am very excited to debut our second edition of Wordplay, our free, homegrown vocabulary game. This edition features Spanish vocabulary. Wordplay runs right in your browser. No downloads necessary. Just click here or on the image below to launch the program.
Why Should I Learn Ancient Greek? |
Books discussed: From Alpha to Omega by Anne Groton (2013), John's Gospel by St. John (c.100 AD), Euthyphro by Plato (c. 390 BC), The Iliad by Homer (c.800 BC)
"En arxn nv o loyoc," or "in the beginning was the Word," is how John's Gospel begins in the original language of the New Testament. The New Testament is but one of many works that is the product of Greek civilization. Greeks can claim that their written corpus is the foundation of Western civilization. Continue reading...
Why Should I Learn Latin? |
Books discussed: Wheelock's Latin by Frederic Wheelock (2011), Lingua Latina: Pars I: Familia Romana by Hans Orberg (2005), Confessions by Augustine (c.397), Gallic War by Julius Caesar (c.50 BC), The Aeneid by Virgil (c.20 BC)
"Gaul is divided into three parts," begins Julius Caesar's Gallic War. Caesar goes into great detail describing the tribes of the Celtic world in which he conquers, ironically providing an ethnographical treasure-trove of information about the indigenous peoples of modern France and Belgium. Continue reading...
Pimsleur versus Michel Thomas: Which Is Better? |
Pimsleur and Michel Thomas are at once very similar and very different. So which is better? The answer is maybe less dramatic than one might suppose. They are both good, and they both should be a part of a language-learning program. Continue reading...
BBC's Muzzy:Will Kids Like It? |
BBC's language program Muzzy is now intergenerational. Many of us (at least in the United States, and probably Canada) remember the commercial from circa 1992, in which the kids speak French, but the narrator asserts that, "These kids aren't French." Muzzy is available in a number of languages, including French, German, Spanish, and Chinese. Continue reading...
Pimsleur Challenge:July 2019 Update |
Pimsleur has revolutionized my language-learning progress. I spent years with grammar books, "intro to..." books, and the like, but I never really felt like I had made progress in a language. Continue reading...
Wordplay:Our Language Learning Browser Game |
I am very excited to debut our very own, homegrown language-learning game. It's called Wordplay, and it runs right in your browser. No downloads necessary. Just click here or on the image below to launch the program. This first edition is a German to English multiple choice game. More languages with more options will follow.
Updated July 2019
Yes You Can: Fitting Language Learning into a Busy Schedule |
"I don't have time." "I tried, but I can't seem to make any progress." "I always wanted to learn French. But I have three kids now." Continue reading...