Italian I Comprehensive |
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Pimsleur Italian Language Programs
» Italian I Comprehensive Combo Package SpecialAbout The Italian LanguageItalian is the official language of Italy and is the most direct living descendant of Latin, the language of the Roman Empire. As a Latin-based language, Italian shares much in common with French, Spanish, Portuguese, and Romanian; in fact, native speakers of Spanish and Italian can often understand each other with little difficulty. Italian is also one of the four official languages of Switzerland. Italian is fraught with regional dialects, which probably had their origins in regional differences which arose in spoken ("Vulgar") Latin in the latter days of the Roman Empire. The cities of Milan, Florence, Rome, Naples, and Venice are all home to their own peculiar flavors of spoken language, and there are other dialects in the Italian countryside and islands. Because of influential writers from Florence like Dante and Petrarch, the Florentine dialect became the literary standard for Italian, and the modern, officially recognized Standard Italian which is presented on the Pimsleur tapes, is based on the old Florentine standard. By developing skills in spoken Standard Italian using the Pimsleur method, you should be able to make yourself understood throughout Italy. Why The Pimsleur System WorksThe late Dr. Paul Pimsleur was much more than a language teacher. He did research on how both children and multi-lingual adults learn languages and discovered key principles that unlocked the mystery of how we learn languages. The Pimsleur programs provide a method of self-practice with an expert teacher and native speakers in lessons specially designed to work with the way the mind naturally acquires language information. The various components of language -- vocabulary, pronunciation and grammar -- are all learned together without rote memorization and drills. Using a unique method of memory recall developed by renowned linguist, Dr. Paul Pimsleur, the programs teach listeners to combine words and phrases to express themselves the way native speakers do. By listening and responding to thirty minute recorded lessons, students easily and effectively achieve spoken proficiency. » The Pimsleur Method « |
