Speak in a Week Mandarin Chinese Complete (Speak in a Week)
by Scott Rivera, Shannon Shi
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Book Summary Information
Author: Scott Rivera, Shannon ShiIllustrator: Julie Bradbury
Edition: Spiral-bound
Audio: English (Original Language); English (Unknown); Chinese (Published)
Published: 2006-12
ISBN: 1591257018
Number of pages: 960
Publisher: Penton Overseas
Book Reviews of Speak in a Week Mandarin Chinese Complete (Speak in a Week)
Book Review: review of multiple products
Summary: 4 Stars
After owning these items for a few months, here is my brief review of each one for comparative purposes for those who are considering learning the language but are contemplating on which course to purchase. It should be noted that there is no one perfect method. Each has its own advantages and disadvantages, hence no five-star ratings from me. I also recommend using a dictionary as a supplement.
PIMSLEUR MANDARIN. This course is completely audio. Each CD contains two half-hour units, no individual tracks on each lesson. I consider this method to be the easiest way for a beginner to start speaking. It is very non-intimidating, introduces the vocabulary slowly and gives an explanation of the words used in the dialogues. However, there is no written transcript so one is unable to verify the pronunciation visually although the speakers' voices are quite clear. Also, if the listener wants to review a certain section, he/she would have to remember which lesson it was played on. The overall vocabulary is limited but this method relies a lot on memory retention. Pimsleur is pricey and may not be the best value for the money when you consider the drawbacks. If this is a concern, then perhaps Conversational Mandarin at a much lower cost along with another course(s) reviewed below may better fit the bill for broadening the horizon. Still, the lessons are pleasant and less monotonous than other audio methods. Good for those who wish to spend the drives in the automobile more productively.
SPEAK IN A WEEK. This course contains four spiral-bound books with a CD to accompany each one. The books are visually appealing, brightly colored and the fonts used are very clear. The eight lessons in each book are spoken in complete sentences with an extensive vocabulary at the end of the book. The first eight tracks of the accompanying CD's cover each lesson, with the second half of the CD using some of the vocabulary at the end of the book to expand on the words learned in the lessons. Unfortunately, I have also discovered a few minor printing/recording errors on the books and CD's. Although the sounds of Pinyin are covered in writing, there is no audio to verify the pronunciation. The knowledge of Pinyin is a necessity and this may be a drawback for some users because there is no audio pronunciation for the majority of the vocabulary words. Since this is an audio/visual set, I consider it an overall good value at a modest price.
LEARN IN YOUR CAR. This course is made by Penton Overseas, the same makers of Speak in a Week. Like Speak in a Week, this is also an audio/visual course containing CD's and written transcripts, although the booklets in Learn in Your Car are not as visually appealing. This set focuses more on traveling rather than general conversation, sometimes using individual words/phrases instead of complete sentences to communicate. The audio is monotonous compared to Pimsleur and may be better used along with the booklets at home rather than in a car, but the advantage is the words on the CD's are color coded and covered in the written transcripts. This makes it an ideal supplement to Speak in a Week since you can also hear the pronunciation of simple words such as the numbers used in counting. The combination of the two Penton Overseas courses along with a dictionary can provide a solid foundation of the language at a total cost less than Pimsleur alone.
BEHIND THE WHEEL. This is my least favorite of all the methods. As others have stated, this is definitely not recommended for beginners. Like Pimsleur, this course is completely audio with no written transcripts but has the advantage of individual tracks, making it easier for short reviews. In my opinion, the presentation is not as pleasant to listen to as Pimsleur and although the vocabulary is more extensive, there are no individual word explanations which can be very confusing for beginners. There are also no explanation of formal vs. casual forms of introduction or when different words that have the same meaning are used for certain circumstances. This course may be a handy supplement for a lower intermediate user who has a basic understanding of the grammar and is better able to distinguish the individual words.
Summary of Speak in a Week Mandarin Chinese Complete (Speak in a Week)
Easy-to-carry, easy-to-use, and fun! A simple, straightforward four-week course in Mandarin Chinese! No bulky books! Carry everywhere, learn anywhere…in the car, on the bus, even at the beach! In four 240-page wire-o bound books of eight sections apiece, you get a comprehensive overview of grammar, plus nearly 70 pages of vocabulary. The Thirty-one colorful, illustrated lessons, a comprehensive review, and detailed glossaries provide all the basic tools to learn another language. Each page features the target language on one side and English on the reverse, with an illustration providing the visual clues andmemory hooks to increase speed of comprehension, plus extra grammar tips, helpful hints, and cultural insights to enrich your learning experience.Chinese Books
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