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Pimsleur Swiss-German
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How the course works
The Pimsleur Method, developed by Dr. Paul Pimsleur, is based on the
"principle of anticipation" and "graduated interval recall."
In real-life terms, this means two things:
- Instead of straight repetition (hearing or repeating words over and over),
the student receives information (e.g., a phrase) and is then asked to
retrieve and use it.
- Words and phrases are repeated throughout the course, but the intervals
between repetitions become increasingly longer, until you eventually
remember the word without being reminded of it.
Unlike traditional language-learning methods, the Pimsleur approach doesn't
use a textbook. The method is completely aural and oral--you learn by hearing
and speaking, as if you were a child. (This makes the course handy for use while
driving, walking, or jogging.)
I was a little skeptical of the Pimsleur Method when I tried the course, if
only because I like having vocabulary lists and grammar tables in front of
me. But after completing the ten lessons, I was surprised
by the amount of material that I'd retained. The aural/oral Pimsleur Method
seems ideal for a spoken dialect like Swiss German, and I recommend the course
highly to anyone who wants to learn the basics of Schwyzertüütsch
before visiting Switzerland.
A few quibbles:
- The course would be even more useful if it included a cassette or cheat sheet
with basic phrases, numbers, etc. for travelers.
- The course doesn't specify which version of Swiss-German dialect is being
taught. (It seems to be Zürich dialect, the most widely spoken of the Schwyzertüütsch
dialects.) This isn't a major concern, but students should be aware that
what they learn from the cassettes may be slightly different from what they hear in
Bern, Zermatt, or St. Gallen.
- The ten lessons add up to about five hours of study, or just enough to
learn the rudiments of Schwyzertüütsch. I'd like to see Pimsleur
offer one of its "comprehensive" courses for learners of Swiss
German. Pimsleur's comprehensive courses include 30 lessons, or three times
the instructional content of this very basic Swiss German
course.
- Pimsleur's Swiss German lists for US $49.95, which seems high for a
course that includes a single CD with 10 half-hour lessons.
Still, your local bookseller may offer a discount, and the course is likely
to be a
worthwhile investment if you're a traveler, corporate transferee, or student
who strongly wants to learn the basics of Schwyzertüütsch
before leaving home.
Free sample lesson
Pimsleur
Swiss German
Hear a sample lesson from Pimsleur's CD course or order online from Simon &
Schuster.
Related article
Schwyzertüütsch
Q: When a Swiss farmer shouts "Grüezi" or "Tschau Zäme"
from his BMW, how should you respond? A: In dialect, if you've
memorized our list of Swiss-German phrases. (Our article includes descriptions of
useful books and other resources.)
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Durant
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