Pimsler method. Learning foreign languages

There are many methods of learning English, and each has its own unique approach.

So, in our time, when processes have accelerated and it is sometimes difficult to devote time only to English, advanced teaching methods come to the rescue. So, you can combine business with pleasure - for example, a bike ride or a hike, a subway train while listening to various effective recordings.

From the article you will learn:

English by the method of Dr. Pimsleur

Pimsleur's English is quite popular and is one of the most advanced and effective methods of learning English. So, the course below is designed for Russian speakers.

Everything is quite simple - classes are built in the form of a dialogue with questions and answers, which covers everyday household and not only aspects. So, in the first lessons, language constructions are given, that is, frequently used phrases in English that native speakers use in everyday communication.

It is suitable for both beginners and advanced learners of English. So, Dr. Pimsler, on the basis of research, revealed that the memorization and assimilation of this or that material by the brain occurs within no more than 30 minutes.

So, even if you have a zero level of English, in a couple of months you will be able to place an order in a cafe or restaurant without any problems, fill up your car, make purchases in a store, ask for the location of a particular object, and much more.

Purpose of the Pimsleur Method

The goal is to quickly learn spoken English, understand foreign everyday speech, the ability to enter into a dialogue on various topics with a native English speaker. Learn and apply more than 2000 words in the form of phrases, turns used in everyday speech.

Description of the learning process

As for the learning process, it is quite simple. It is necessary to devote no more than 30 minutes a day to studying and take 1-2 lessons. Thus, you can memorize 100 words. If you don’t understand something, you can always go through this or that lesson again, the main thing is to master the material so that as a result of your training you get the result you expected.

So, the first level includes 30 lessons for self-study. There are second and third levels, but the first one lays the foundation, so pay special attention to it.

So, as you have already calculated, the course takes only 15 hours. With due diligence and desire, you will definitely improve your level of English.

It is a unique method of effectiveness for learning English. The course of Dr. Pimsleur enables people, even without any knowledge of the language, to quickly speak English. The presented training program is designed for Russian speakers. According to this method, you will learn a foreign language without textbooks, you will not have to memorize anything. Well ( English by Pimsleur ) is designed to listen to audio lessons, which include the most effective form of learning, consisting of dialogues, questions and answers, a detailed analysis of each conversation. The most used words and constructions necessary for everyday use in dialogues are selected. The vocabulary of the first 30 lessons will give you the opportunity to build basic conversational structures and understand the everyday speech of native speakers.

The course of doctor Pimslera gives the chance to quickly start talking in English even for people without any knowledge of language. The presented program of training is proper for the Russian-speakers. By using this technique you will study foreign language without books, it is not necessary for you to jag the words. The course is based on listening of audiolessons including the most effective mode of study consisting of dialogues, questions and answers and analysis of each conversation in details. The most used words and phrases for the daily use are selected. The vocabulary of the first 30 lessons will give the chance to you to build the basic phrases and to understand daily speech of native speakers.

There are only a few effective methods of learning a foreign language that require nothing more than an MP3 player and headphones.

The most popular and one of the best is Dr. Pimsleur's method. In my opinion it is really effective. His closest competitors in the field of audio are the courses of Michel Thomas and Paul Noble.

And, for comparison, the last 30th lesson from the same course.

Please note that the quality of the recording here is lower than in the original.

The Pimsleur course exists in versions for a variety of languages. For English speakers, there are more than 50 of them. And this means that in order to learn these languages, you need to know English.
Since the English spoken in the course is clear and uncomplicated, it is sufficient for you to have an intermediate level of English proficiency. More precisely, the average level of his perception of the ear.

If you need to learn exactly English, having another language as your native language, then this is also possible if you are a happy owner of one of the 14 languages:

English for Arabic Speakers
English for Cantonese Chinese Speakers
English for Mandarin Chinese Speakers
English for Farsi Persian Speakers
English for French Speakers
English for German Speakers
English for Haitian Speakers
English for Hindi Speakers
English for Italian Speakers
English for Korean Speakers
English for Portuguese Speakers
English for Russian Speakers
English for Spanish Speakers
English for Vietnamese Speakers

As you can see, we are lucky and today there is a course for Russian speakers.

True, the lessons of the second and third levels were not officially released for Russian-speaking users. The second and third levels were translated from Italian into Russian by Igor Serov, who taught English at the Academy of the FSB of Russia.

Dr. Pimsler's audio programs are said to use a natural model of the communication process - questions and answers; statements and objections; receiving and requesting information. Learning begins with the words and language structures that are most often used by native speakers in everyday communication with each other. This vocabulary is necessary and sufficient to guarantee the ability to speak confidently and understand by ear the natives of a foreign country.

The entire audio course is designed for 15 hours of self-study, consisting of 30 lessons of 30 minutes (time only for the first level). Your task is to listen carefully and do everything that the announcers say, carefully pronouncing the proposed sounds, words and sentences.
All English lessons are voiced by two speakers - a Russian speaker who explains and gives you tasks, and a native English speaker who pronounces all the learning sounds and dialogues in his native language.

For high-quality mastering of the English spoken language, it is recommended to complete no more than one lesson a day, but this lesson must be worked out one hundred percent. For more effective study, it is better to have one lesson twice a day - in the morning and in the evening. Only then can you move on to the next lesson.

Upon completion of the training, you will know and, absolutely without hesitation, use about 500 words in your speech and easily compose several hundred conversational constructions of the English language.

Pimsleur's course is based on four main principles:

Anticipation

Language courses usually ask students to repeat after the instructor, which Pimsleur saw as a passive learning path. Pimsleur has developed a "call and response" technique where the student is asked to translate a phrase into the target language, after which a language support is given. This technique is aimed at a more active learning path where the student is required to think before answering. Pimsler said that natural communication, in which the speaker must quickly construct phrases, is embodied in the principle of anticipation.

Graded Spaced Repetitions

Graded spaced repetition is a method of repeating learned words at increasing intervals. This method is a variant of the spaced repetition memorization method. For example, if a student wants to learn the word deux (two in French), he repeats it after a few seconds, the first time at the beginning, then a second time after a few minutes, then after a few hours, and then after a few days. The purpose of spaced repetition is to help the student to write the learned words into long-term memory.
The 1967 Pimsleur repetition scale was as follows: 5 seconds, 25 seconds, 2 minutes, 10 minutes, 1 hour, 5 hours, 1 day, 5 days, 25 days, 4 months, 2 years.

vocabulary core

The Pimsleur method aims to teach commonly used words in order to build a "vocabulary core". An extensive dictionary is not presented in the course. An analysis of the frequency of words in a text shows that a relatively small vocabulary core covers the majority of word usage in any language. For example, in English, the set of 2000 most frequent words makes up 80% of the total number of word usages in the text. In other words, knowledge of these 2000 words provides approximately 80 percent understanding of the text. However, even the most advanced Pimsleur courses fall short of these values, only giving approximately 500 words per level (most of the most popular languages ​​have 3 levels, some have only one).

Organic learning

The program uses an audio format because, according to Pimsler, most language learners want to learn to speak and understand by ear first. Pimsler suggested that these two skills, which use the articulation apparatus and hearing, are a separate skill, in contrast to the ability to read and write, which is based on visual perception. Pimsleur was convinced that visual and listening skills should not be confused. He called his system of listening "organic learning" in which the study of grammar, words and pronunciation takes place in parallel. Learning by listening also aims to teach pronunciation without an accent.”

Criticism of the method

Critics of the Pimsleur method say that it lacks an explanation of the grammar.
But according to the Pimsleur method, grammar is not taught separately, but is given through the frequent repetition of used structures and phrases.
Pimsler stated that the inductive method (from particular to general) is exactly the method by which native speakers learn grammar intuitively in childhood.

Others argue that it has a small vocabulary.
Yes it is. But it's easier to learn how to form the correct phrases based on a small vocabulary.
And after mastering such a skill, you can successfully expand vocabulary.

Still others say that mixing native and foreign languages ​​disrupts the formation of a new language center in the brain.
One could agree with this statement if it were a course for advanced users of the language.
In our case, we are talking about beginners (after all, the course is designed for beginners).
Therefore, Pimsleur can be forgiven for such a methodological error.
Yes, and it is difficult to imagine the first steps in a new language completely in it,
although there is no doubt that the crutches of native speech should be disposed of as soon as possible.

The main thing is that the course is done very well, with attention to details, and listening to it is a pleasure ...
Unless, of course, you are able to endure repeated repetition of the same thing.
But it is precisely in such an endless repetition that one of the main "chips" of the course lies.

More from my site

Traditional methods of learning a foreign language have one common drawback - they do not allow the student to overcome the language barrier, which leads to sad consequences: it seems that a person has a sufficient amount of knowledge and is well versed in grammar, but does not understand the speech of the interlocutor. Yes, and a rally to express his thoughts with his voice is a serious problem for him. The Pimsleur technique breaks stereotypes and involves the development of conversational skills from the first lesson, which makes it so effective.

Who is Dr. Pimsler?

Paul Pimsler is an American linguist with French roots who has paid much attention to the psychology of the process of learning and mastering a foreign language. In his works, Pimsler proved the productivity of the organic way of teaching speaking, not providing mastering reading and writing skills. Pimsler found confirmation of the effectiveness of this method in the process of studying children's abilities: a preschooler does not experience difficulties in communicating with peers and demonstrates fluency in the language, although he has no idea about the structure of the language and is not burdened with knowledge of grammar.

While teaching at the University of California, Pimsleur showed a genuine interest in students with language problems. He developed a system for testing the ability / inability of a student to learn language, which is actively used at the present time to identify the student and the prospects for his learning.

Dr. Pimsleur has developed his own courses in French, Spanish, Greek, German, Italian and English, which are widely circulated around the world and have gained popularity.

The Pimsleur method is the essence

Pimsler puts the formation of associative thinking at the forefront, consistent training of short and long-term memory, taking into account the specifics of operational memory. Four pillars of the Pimsler technique:

• expectation principle, or the “request-response” principle, which activates the thought process before constructing a phrase in order to retrieve a dictionary structure from memory;
• memorization through spaced repetition, which is based on features short-term and long memory;
• core vocabulary: 100 words are enough to understand 50%, 500 words to understand 80%, 1200 words are enough to understand 90% of the language, while the grammar is “sewn up” into the vocabulary base and learned intuitively;
• functional (organic) learning, which is more natural than learning a language in the classroom, because, according to the author, the student learns better with the ears than with the eyes.

English according to the method of Dr. Pimsler

Due to the fact that a student can concentrate and keep attention for no more than half an hour, according to the doctor, each of his lessons lasts 30 minutes. One level of study covers approximately 500 words.

Important ! stick rules: 1 day = 1 lesson. Don't force things. Study at home, because without active speaking, the Pimsleur course loses its meaning.

The student listens to enriched bilingual phrases performed by native speakers of the target language. At precise intervals, he is asked to repeat these phrases after the speaker. After that, a new cliche is introduced with an explanation of the meaning. After repeating a new phrase several times, the student returns to the previous construction and introduces new words into it. Further, the process of introducing new phrases is repeated, reproduction old designs occurs at lengthening time intervals.

Pimsler English for Russian speakers- nuances

English by the method of Dr. Pimsleur for Russian speakers was created directly professor only in the amount of 30 lessons ( first level), which implies a reserve of 500 words and mastering the initial skills. The second and third levels of the Pimsler course were translated from Italian by an experienced teacher of the Academy of the FSB.

A practical audio course on learning American English using the new method of Dr. Pimsleur. No textbooks and cramming. Just listen and talk! The disc contains 15 hours of educational audio material - 30 lessons of 30 minutes. The method was developed and successfully used in the USA.

Part 1: Understanding the structure and algorithm of the English language.
You will learn how to build CORRECT English sentences of almost any level of complexity. The course is the most effective and fastest way to learn English today. This is a fundamentally different technique. It is not only the approach to teaching that distinguishes it from all other methods, but also the ultimate goal of learning itself. This is not just a new form of presentation of material - here the educational material itself is different, sharply different from the traditional one. This method relies on and uses its own terminology - clear, functional, absolutely transparent and understandable. A transcription has been developed with the help of which any beginner can easily read and learn English words, their own rules / algorithms have been derived - there are only 3 of them. Exception words have been systematized, the “problems” of articles and “irregular” verbs have been solved. The most difficult "times", which are of particular difficulty for the Russian-speaking audience, are successfully assimilated at the 3-4th step of study. And you will get a complete understanding of the structure of the language at the final 7th step. After studying this course, you will be able to say almost anything you want in CORRECT English.
The first part of the course is presented in audio format.
The maximum effect of the course occurs when you listen to it! You can listen and study it wherever it is convenient for you: at home, in the subway, in the car, etc.
After listening to the first part of the Super Fast English Mastery course, all you need is a dictionary and practice!

Part 2: Replenishment of your vocabulary.
Realistically and almost effortlessly, you can memorize 100 words a day, spending only 20 minutes a day. Using the original technique of memorizing words will allow you to reduce the time needed to learn English words tenfold. The teaching method is based on memorizing not foreign words, but foreign ones turned into Russian words through a system of associations. Scientists have proven that the productivity of associative memory is 25 times higher than the productivity of mechanical memory, and if you add here certain mechanisms from the art of effective memorization and assimilation of information from the arsenal of the second part of the course, then you will get a 100-fold increase in productivity (practice shows that students using this the memorization system is learned by more than 3,000 words in less than 1 month, in contrast to the traditional "cramming", where the same number of words takes more than 2 years). Such associations, used as memorization keys, are easily embedded in memory and make it possible to solve the problem of vocabulary replenishment in an extremely short time.
You have a unique opportunity in 35-40 hours to build a solid vocabulary of the 3000 most common words in the English language.
With the course "Super-fast mastering of the English language" the process of memorizing words will become easy and not burdensome!
You will just want to reopen the second part of the course and remember a hundred or two English words with pleasure!

Part 3: Learning exactly those words that will allow you to quickly get used to the "English environment".
You will receive a dictionary of 3000 thousand words arranged by frequency of use. You will start your study with the most frequently used words.
The experience of learning languages ​​shows that about 800 correctly chosen words can cover up to 90 percent of the vocabulary that you need for everyday communication.
Obviously, it is better to master the most necessary words than to constantly rush to learn new ones. Moreover, the traditional approach to learning English involves memorizing words by category - you can tell everything from school days about notebooks, books, pens, pencils, etc., knowledge of your vocabulary can be measured in several hundred words, but apply to communication You cannot, for the reasons described above.
According to statistics, about 80 correctly chosen, high-frequency words will cover approximately 50% of word usage in everyday speech in any language;
- 400 words will cover about 80%;
- 600 words - approximately 85%;
- 800 words will cover about 90%;
- well, 1500-2000 words - about 95% of what you need to say or hear in the most common situation.
Properly chosen vocabulary helps to understand quite a lot with very modest effort spent on learning.