Learning foreign languages is necessary - people understood this a long time ago. And if earlier the most “running” was English, now others, both European and more rare, have been added to it. In an effort to help everyone who wants to learn knowledge quickly, teachers and scientists come up with new ways of learning. For example, the study of the English language by the Pimsler method has become extremely popular. We suggest today to find out why it is remarkable.
Why learn foreign languages?
In the conditions of rapid rapprochement of countries with economic, political, cultural and other points of view, to know only the native dialect became an impermissible luxury. English is a necessary minimum that can be useful to any person at any time. Foreign online stores, instructions for use, some highly specialized articles, interesting books and films, travel - to access many of these benefits of humanity and realize their full potential, you need to know at least one foreign language.
It is not surprising that, realizing this, people began to develop various methods that allow them to learn new knowledge as quickly and efficiently as possible, in other words, to begin to speak and understand interlocutors from other countries. These techniques are based on a variety of principles.
The basic principles of study
Polyglots and professionals say that you can learn any language if you wish. This is easier for someone, it is more difficult for someone, but it is extremely important to observe two principles: comprehensive practice and regularity. It is believed that the most effective study of foreign languages at once from three main parties: reading, listening and speaking. As for the second principle, it is very simple - you can do it very little, but every day. It is better if new information is constantly arriving, as well as a repetition of the old. In the first stages, you can focus on vocabulary, but grammar will also be needed very soon, so it will not work for a long time to neglect it.
And yet, despite the fact that you have to learn the same things, you can do this in completely different ways. Linguists, translators, philologists, and simply enthusiasts have developed a lot of ways over the years.
Modern techniques
Unless each method is specifically mentioned, conditionally they can all be divided into 6 large groups that involve certain memory mechanisms. So, there are the following basic methods of learning a foreign language:
- Traditional (lexical and grammatical). Everyone is familiar with it, without exception, because in accordance with this methodology training programs are being built in most educational institutions. According to this method, memorization of the language is based on the study of words and grammar rules, the compilation of their own sentences and translation in both directions. Programs using this technique can be built on a variety of principles, but they all have one thing in common - constant active practice.
- Immersion on Wednesday. As a rule, this method involves a temporary relocation to the country of the language being studied. However, without minimal knowledge, it is still useless - it is better to obtain relevant knowledge by imposing them on known basic principles. The advantage of this approach in its pure form is the simultaneous understanding of the country's culture, the characteristics of life in it, etc. On the other hand, some of the knowledge may be lost.
- The communicative method. Today it is the second most popular after the traditional. In this case, the goal is to learn not to read or make dry sentences that are not related to life, but to start interacting with people using their knowledge. This group of techniques is considered the most perfect and effective, so its popularity is not surprising. A well-designed program can give truly brilliant results.
- The method of silence. This approach assumes that the teacher does not "crush" the student with his authority, does not affect his level of knowledge with his own, but simply directs it. According to this technique, no sound is pronounced in a foreign language until the study of transcriptions and reading rules has been completed. This approach quickly lost popularity, probably due to its time-consuming and questionable effectiveness.
- The method of physical response. This method is also quite unusual due to the fact that students have to literally “pass through themselves” all the knowledge. The first lessons are based on the study of verbs, to which each student begins to respond over time. At the word “get up,” he performs the necessary action, thus memorizing not abstract tokens, but using associative memory.
- Audiolinguistic method. Often, it is based on simple cramming according to the “hear - repeat” pattern. This is far from suitable for everyone, since listening comprehension is well developed in a few. It is to this group that the widely publicized method of Dr. Pimsler belongs. But how does he stand out from this group?
Pimsler Method: Essence
This approach belongs to the last, audiolinguistic group. The standard course contains 90 lessons, divided into three levels. The first is for beginners, and the other two are for followers.
According to the creator of the methodology, the student does not need any textbooks, literally from the first lessons he will be able to start talking. It is claimed that this approach has been patented and has been used by US intelligence agencies for several decades.
In fact, it all comes down to repeatedly listening to and repeating some conversational phrases, that is, certain communicative patterns are formed. This is valuable, but not a single language ends there.
Building lessons
Each lesson lasts no more than half an hour, since it is believed that a longer duration tires the student and reduces his level of motivation. In addition, scientists believe that this is the same period during which the brain assimilates new information most effectively. Training involves one lesson per day, so the entire course is designed for about 3 months.
Lessons according to Dr. Pimsler's method involve a constant repetition of information obtained during past lessons, later tasks also appear that involve the translation of previously learned phrases. Thus, memory training and the formation of persistent patterns for certain situations occur.
Efficiency
As already mentioned, almost all audio-linguistic techniques do not justify the student's efforts. They are convenient as support, an additional practice, but not a basic approach. Dr. Pimsler’s own lessons are not innovative or breakthrough. However, the right move was to make the duration of the lesson no more than half an hour, because otherwise the students would quickly become tired and begin to be frankly bored.
Of course, everyone wants to find a miraculous way to immediately begin to speak a foreign language and understand it, but, unfortunately, this does not happen. The acquisition of knowledge, and even more so in such a complex field, requires considerable. This is probably why polyglot people are so admired.
In addition, Paul Pimsler studied the mechanisms of language learning mainly on the example of children, who in this sense are very different from adults.
For Russian speakers
You can learn a number of languages (Japanese, Chinese, Greek, Hindi, Arabic, French, Spanish, German) using the Pimsler method. It also slightly leads to certain thoughts, because there can be no universal solution. True, such a large selection is available only to those who already know English, while the rest have to be content with much less. Whether this is due to the gradual fading of interest in the technique after the death of its creator or doubts about its effectiveness is unknown.
For example, the Pimsler method for Russian speakers is limited only to the most popular language - English. However, there are many analogues that have a much larger set, but about the same effect. Few audio courses involve the study of grammar, and without it, the value of knowledge is reduced to almost zero.
Benefits
Like any audiolinguistic approach, Dr. Pimsler’s method immediately forms the correct pronunciation and teaches you to understand foreign speech by ear. In addition, memorization is not individual words, but phrases gives a certain advantage, which students are often deprived with other approaches. In this case, a person does not have to form a phrase in his native language, and only then translate it into the desired one. Linguistic patterns allow you to respond to certain situations immediately, without this delay, because constant practice produces an unambiguous reaction. However, at the same time this is also a minus.
disadvantages
Of course, the student will be able to ask the foreigner a question and even start a dialogue with him, but any deviation from the “standard” will be a kind of shock, and the same thing can be said in completely different words. Replacing any word in the current phrase is incredibly difficult, and the Pimsler lessons are not very well prepared for this.
The second serious drawback is the focus of the approach solely on colloquial speech. A rather limited vocabulary is formed, and the grammar generally remains undeveloped. In addition, it is sometimes difficult for students to correlate written and spoken language. So there is no need to talk about a thorough and comprehensive study if only the Pimsler method is applied.
Reviews
The reaction to this approach is rather controversial. Many admire this technique, while some consider it a simple waste of money and time. It’s hard to say who is right. Most nevertheless agree on one thing - this course helps those who learn the language from scratch, but it’s better to combine it with mastering grammar rules. In any case, you can always try and decide whether this or that method is suitable or not for a particular student. After all, the mechanisms of learning and memory are very different for everyone.
Possible use
Dr. Pimsler’s method can be a good help for those who for one reason or another do not speak the language, while being able to write, read and make sentences. It helps improve pronunciation while doing other things at the same time, but it would be incorrect to talk about it as the main approach to learning any language. It can also be suitable for those who, for example, have briefly been in a foreign country, and they need to be explained on an everyday basis on everyday topics. For a deeper study, this technique is no longer suitable.
Listening is an important element of practice, it is known to anyone who has ever encountered the development of someone else's speech. Translation students spend many hours in language laboratories, but this is only part of the picture when it comes to learning foreign languages. So you should not be limited only to this technique, while mastering vocabulary, grammar, syntax and other important aspects. So the Pimsler method is not a "panacea", but it can significantly help those who wish to speak a foreign language.