Pimsleur Spanish is just one of a series of language programs that use the Pimsleur Method. You can learn Thai, Czech, and many other languages this way as well.
So what is the basis of this Pimsleur Method? If it’s available in so many languages, it must have proven itself. Why is it effective?
Dr. Paul Pimsleur described four essential principles for language learning. They are:
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- Anticipation
- Graduated-interval recall
- Core vocabulary
- Organic Learning
I’ll explain each one a little.
[1] Anticipation: Using the lessons, you learn new vocabulary and then are asked to put it together in ways that you haven’t already heard on the CD. This is more like real-life conversation than the more passive approach you may remember from school, where students just repeat what the teachers say.
[2] Graduated-interval recall: As you learn a word or phrase, you can go increasing longer times before you will need to review it, in order to put it into your long-term memory. (I’ve also written about this process in my blog articles on using flashcards. I have found it very valuable myself.)
[3] Core vocabulary: The Spanish vocabulary you learn was carefully chosen to be the most essential words in the language. So even though you come out of a Pimsleur Method comprehensive course with around 500 words, they are the most important ones and you know them quite well.
[4] Organic learning: Dr. Pimsleur felt that most people learning another language want to be able to speak it and to understand what they hear. So he created audio courses, and called them organic learning. He felt that learning to read and write should come later.
For more about the this powerful method, see my Pimsleur Spanish review.
