Methods in Detail

Here we will deal primarily with those methods which are suitable for self-learning. Such as are used in different language schools, are taken here only into consideration if they are further spread and corresponding materials or information about the assessment is available.

Table of contents:

Assimil - Berlitz - Birkenbihl - Linguaphone - MTI 1908 - 
Method of Nature - Pimsleur - Rosetta Stone - Steiner - Strokes - Superlearning/Suggestopedia - Merthner - Heil - Schliemann - Ho-ruck

Assimil

Courses without pain, but with tradition worked out well (acc. to their Homepage for 75 years), in many languages available. 

Overlooks and good workable day lessons in approx. 15 sentences per day, approx. 100 lessons altogether, on the right side in the native tongue and on the left side in the foreign language. With details of grammar rules in form measured out well.

Untill a few years there have been these courses only based on textbook and audiocassettes or CD, but till few years ago they  have extended the pallet by CD-ROMs now. These are just as suitable for studying, but I cannot judge yet, I don't know them.

Links:
- on Wikipedia - does'nt exist
- Assimil-Homepage - eng - fra

Judgment: 
As a base course quite recommendable.

Berlitz

Details refer to those alone studying courses which are or were offered. For courses at the institutes I am missing the experience.

According to own details of the institute:
BERLITZ ... this means: We don't translate -- you don't translate. What you hear lets you experience the language. You learn from situations.

One of those methods which have devoted themselves to this "EASY WAY of LEARNING LANGUAGES". If respectively for whom it is an efficient way, would be still to analyze and also to discuss in the forum.

Attention! Under the same brand are also offered software packages which shall make possible learning 35 languages altogether. We will still more thoroughly deal with these methods under "hit jerk" methods.

Links:
wikipedia:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berlitz_Language_Schools
Website Berlitz Publishing UK  - Website Berlitz Publishing USA 

Birkenbihl

The method Birkenbihl - according to the information from Mrs Birkenbihl - brain raked promises to grind a successful learning of foreign languages up without grammar and without words. The headwords to this: " "forbidden" word kettledrum timpanis -- grammar rules unnecessary "! 60 -80 "%" time-saver.

(Mrs. Birkenbihl is a German psychologist who has studied in the United States too. But as far as I know it isn't offered in English.)

Mrs Birkenbihl is right for certain in this way, however, we will check at a later time whether the headwords are based on facts and can be comprehended.

Courses based on Birkenbihl method are also offered by other enterprises, e.g. of Hueber.

Explanations about what is so special on this method we will look at one of the next occasions.

Links:
- informations in English are not available
in German language:

- Wikipedia (available only in German language)

- Birkenbihl-Homepage (Birkenbihl International)

- Birkenbihl at BRAlpha - deu

Euro Talk

EuroTalk interactive

Suppliers wording from his homepage:

Forget the grammar!

It is aim of the euro talk language software to help you to understand and to speak a new language. By hearing genuine daily idioms and practicing, your natural abilities develop for languages.

Four-year old children in their own country can't read, write or  understand their grammar, nevertheless they can communicate in their own language very effectively . If you travel to a new country, you should be in the situation to use the language without thinking of the grammar.

Source:  The Homepage of abitz.com. (In German). 

Linguaphone

There have been Linguaphone courses for decades, they are built up solidly and that knowledge which must be existing mediates just as solidly to learn and master a foreign language from reason.

Different institutes have amended the method a little or amended experiences in accordance with own. The so-called Active alpha method is one of them. 

Until now these courses are available only on base books and audiocassettes or CD. No PC-courses, but mentionable is a very good and specially for Linguaphone produced audiorecorder for language learning.

(I have been studying English for years with courses from Linguaphone, but please don't blame them for all my mistakes and errors on all these pages, it was really long ago.)

Links:
- Linguaphone-Homepage

MTI 1908 - Method for Quick Learning

According to the home page it is here a particularly fast method to learn foreign languages, up to 500% more effective as other methods .  It was developed of an Austrian named Martin Toporek who has exercised athletes behind the iron curtain at those times. He has worked out a said method at this or after this.

Mr Toporek speaks up to fifteen languages fluently. About details of this very effective method I will make a supplement within the next weeks. 

Method of Nature

One of the rather controversial methods of learning languages. This method also has undisputedly its raison d´ être and its strengths. The texts are very light and build up all of them on a constant repetition of the words. It is another advantage that one can already produce a considerable knowledge in the respective language after working through the complete course. (details at direct comparisons of the courses, this at a later time.)

The correspondence courses offered by German and Austrian distant teaching institutes are worked out well and also reach to explanations.

There is a number of Sites which explain themselves with that in the internet. (But caution: There also is a nature method for people with language difficulties, speak for stutterers).

We will have a good look at the advantages of this method as soon as we deal with studying. (The link to this follows here.)

Links (only in German): 
- on Wikipedia - not available
- Center for language and communication -- Interesting explanations about teaching and studying languages by  nature method. - eng
- Butzkamm Wolfgang - Fremdsprachendidaktik - pdf - deu 
- Dr. Henning Gloyer zur Naturmethode - deu

Links in English are coming soon too if available.

Links to supplier:
- http://www.humboldt.at/

Literatur:
- 

More informations are coming up soon.

Pimsleur

- Paul Pimsleur on Wikipedia

- Pimsleur Approach

More information will be coming soon.

Rosetta Stone

Steiner

Strokes

Strokes is the specialist for east languages. One actually has most European east languages besides Assimil in the supply. (Not mistaking for a U.S. rock band of same name.)

Strokes is a PC course. We will talk about the problematic  at a later time.

Disadvantage: The older versions can be used only very with difficulty. Caution therefore at primarily such in online auctions!

Links:
- Stokes Homepage - deu - eng - ita 

Superlearning - Suggestopedia

Superlearning is a method developed by the Bulgarian professor Dr. Losanow originally with the name "Suggestopädie".

This idea resp. method was taken up by the Americans Ostrander/Schröder introduced by the authors worldwide.

The Superlearning is judged rather disparagingly in many advisers for learning languages. Deliberately -- and it, however, absolutely has its right, occurred, integrated into a network: It primarily is an excellent first possibility for the physical contact with the new language. One can acquire a first sense of a language and their sound. 

There are several suppliers of courses based on Superlerning. This both with courses at institutes and to the private study.

Links:
- Wikipedia: Suggestopedia - eng

- http://www.superlearning.ca/ - eng

- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georgi_Lozanov - eng

- http://dr-lozanov.dir.bg/ - eng

- http://www.pls-gabal.at/shop/index1.html - Was ist Superlearning? - deu

Links to supplier:
- particulars are available only in German, therefore please look at www.fremdsprachenweb.net
- in English they are coming as soon as possible

Aid:
- Diversion music for Superlearning - available of different suppliers
- There have been available a timing generator on tapes and also some special music tapes, I obtained mine from New York many years ago

Older Methods - No. 1 - Merthner

"Emotional technical language acquistion on a mechanical suggestive basis."

The predecessor of all those language courses and methods which arranges the acquisition of foreign languages practice without of grammar and similar (at least as far as known to me).

The preface of the first French course of Robert Mertner is professedly it, to have had and used the possibility for substantial studies in French captivity from September 1919. into it.

The course is based on newspaper articles in which always recurring and systematically extended vocabulary is processed. Alone already the articles from the inter-wartime are worth reading as far as one can already read them in the foreign language.

There occasionally still are copies in the second-hand bookshop or in the online auctioneers.

Older Methods - No. 2 -  Dr. Heil

Dr. Heil's new languages system - the impressive method without memorizing, the new system of natural language appropriation on emotional technical basis, without memorizing. (A method from the 30-years of the last century).

There already is that division which also is used by Assimil. On the left side the texts in a foreign language, on the right the German translation. Which really takes consideration for a translation on the individual words and on the word order in the sentence. One can impress the meaning on recognizing and memorize themselves so better. 

This method also puts value on declarations about the grammar.

There is only one sorrow: The texts partly are corresponding to the time of 1938. Unfortunately, blindness stops nowhere!

"hit jerk" methods (Ho-Ruck-Methoden) 
various PC-programms on CD-Rom

Declarations about it I wouldn't these describe as methods but as an aid rather. I contrast with some of them very sceptically, particulars later.

There are such programs of Berlitz and other supplier.

Schliemann-Method

Heinrich Schliemann is a well known name, but not in connection with beeing a language genius, but because he has discovered Troja.

Heinrich Schliemann was a North German merchant who has spoken approximately 25 languages, the exact details on it vary. Some of them he has acquired within three months, so it is called in its biographies. 

About the method there aren't too many informations available but we will look at them in one of the next steps.