Audio lessons using the Dr. Pimsleur method. American English according to Dr. Pimsleur's method

Among the methods, methods and techniques of learning English, the Pimsleur method has always occupied and will continue to occupy its rightful place. Many school teachers include the work of this famous scientist in their lessons. When developing courses for Russian speakers, methodologists rarely ignore the ideas of audiolingual language acquisition.

The essence of the method

Learning any language is work that requires a lot of time and effort. Often people don't have the opportunity to do both. This is where the Pimsleur method comes to the aid of very busy people.

Paradoxically, it is very busy people who are best attuned to this task. Half an hour in the schedule of a businessman who knows how to properly distribute his time turns out to be much more valuable than the whole day of a person languishing from melancholy and idleness.

The method is based on repeated listening to phrases in audio recordings. For Russian speakers, the recordings are voiced by two native speakers - Russian and English. The entries are clearly divided into syllables, words, phrases, and dialogues.

Since students not only listen to recordings repeatedly, but also pronounce absolutely everything English phrases, then it would be best to characterize the method as audiolingual, that is, when listening and speaking are actively included in language learning.

Basic Course Elements

They study English using the Pimsleur method in three main stages, consisting of thirty lessons each:

The first phase of training begins with repeated repetition of the simplest monologues, where each word is repeated in parts until each sound is mastered. With careful practice of each lesson, the level of proficiency increases to the understanding and ability to use phrases in everyday communicative situations.
In the second phase, some phrases are lengthened to two or three sentences, and by the thirtieth lesson the student is able to communicate with native speakers while traveling abroad.
In the third phase, the basic idioms of modern English are included in speech, and by the thirtieth lesson, provided that all words, sentences, pronunciation and intonation are fully worked out, the student is ready for free communication with native speakers.

Dr. Pimsleur's method is complemented by a short reading course, which is also accompanied by an audio recording. Here the pronunciation of sounds is worked out with special care. This course is especially important for mastering sounds that sound in English with nuances that are difficult for a Russian-speaking person to understand.

What are the advantages of the method?

English according to Dr. Pimsleur's method is good because when serious attitude and motivation, students can master it from scratch within three months. The method is called “ultra-fast”.

In fact, many people mastered the language using Pimsleur's work, but in three months only those who strictly followed all the instructions succeeded. To learn a language super-fast, you need very strict self-organization and confidence in the result.

There are people who could not learn English using Dr. Pimsleur's method. As a rule, these are impulsive people who do not know how to set themselves a clear goal, which requires discipline and the ability to subordinate oneself to the goal.

Alternative Methods for Learning English

In addition to the Pimsleur method, we invite you to draw your attention to teaching English using the Oleg Limansky method. This teaching method has been implemented on the website. The method is based on the sequential implementation of 4 exercises: Listening, Vocabulary, Dictation, Translation and Interpretation. To understand how the technique works, register on the site and start free lessons.

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: the person seems to have a sufficient amount of knowledge and is well versed in grammar, but does not understand the speech of the interlocutor. Yes, and expressing his thoughts in a voice is a serious problem for him. The Pimsleur method breaks stereotypes and involves the development of speaking skills from the first lesson, which makes it so effective.

Who is Dr. Pimsleur?

Paul Pimsleur is an American linguist with French roots who paid much attention to the psychology of the process of learning and mastering a foreign language. In his works, Pimsleur proved the productivity of the organic way of teaching speaking, not providing mastering reading and writing skills. Pimsleur 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 language, although he has no idea about the structure of 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 difficulties. He developed a system for testing a student's ability/inability to learn language, which is currently actively used to identify the student and the prospects for his learning.

Dr. Pimsler formed his own courses for studying French, Spanish, Greek, German, Italian and English, which were widely circulated around the world and gained popularity.

Pimsleur method - the essence

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

the expectation principle, or the “request-response” principle, which activates the thought process before constructing a phrase in order to retrieve a vocabulary 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 are enough to understand 80%, 1200 words are enough to understand 90% of the language, while the grammar is “sewn up” into the vocabulary base and is learned intuitively;
functional (organic) acquisition, which is more natural than learning a language in a classroom, because, according to the author, a student learns better with his ears than with his eyes.

English according to Dr. Pimsleur's method

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

Important ! Stick to it 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 phrases in two languages, which are performed by native speakers of the target language. At precise intervals he is asked to repeat these phrases after the speaker. After this, a new cliche is introduced with an explanation of the meaning. Having repeated the new phrase several times, the student returns to the previous construction and introduces new words into it. Next, the process of introducing new phrases is repeated, playback old structures occur at lengthening time intervals.

Pimsleur English for Russian speakers- nuances

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

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

Part 1: Understanding the structure and algorithm of the English language.
You will learn to build the RIGHT English sentences almost any level of complexity. The course is the most effective and in a fast way learning English today. This is a fundamentally different technique. What distinguishes it from all other methods is not only the approach to teaching, but also the ultimate goal of learning. It's not easy new form presentation of the material - here the other is the educational material, 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, its 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 particularly difficult for the Russian-speaking audience, are successfully mastered at the 3-4 step of study. And you will get a complete understanding of the structure of the language in the final 7th step. After studying this course, you will be able to say almost everything you want in CORRECT English.
The first part of the course is presented in audio format.
The maximum effect from taking the course occurs if you listen to it! You can listen and study it wherever it is convenient for you: at home, on the subway, in the car, etc.
After listening to the first part of the “Ultra-Fast Mastery” course English» All you need is a dictionary and practice!

Part 2: Replenishing your vocabulary.
Realistically and almost effortlessly, you can memorize 100 words daily, spending only 20 minutes a day. Using an original technique for memorizing words will allow you to reduce the time required to learn English words by tens of times. The teaching method is based on memorization foreign words, but foreign ones, transformed 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 we add here certain mechanisms from art effective memorization and mastering information from the arsenal of the second part of the course, then you will receive a 100-fold increase in productivity (practice shows that students using this memorization system learn more than 3000 words in less than 1 month, unlike traditional “cramming”, where the same number of words leave for more than 2 years). Such associations, used as memorization keys, are easily imprinted in the memory and make it possible to solve the problem of replenishing vocabulary in an extremely short period of time.
You are given a unique opportunity to create a durable vocabulary of the 3000 most common words in the English language.
With the “Ultra-Fast Mastery of English” course, the process of memorizing words will become easy and not burdensome!
You'll just want to re-open the second part of the course and enjoy remembering a hundred or two English words!

Part 3: Learning exactly those words that will allow you to get comfortable in the “English environment” as quickly as possible.
You will receive a dictionary of 3,000 thousand words, arranged by frequency of use. You will begin your study with the most frequently used words.
Experience in learning languages shows that about 800 correctly chosen words can cover up to 90 percent of the vocabulary you need for everyday communication.
Obviously, it is better to master, most the right words than constantly rushing to learn new ones. Moreover, traditional approach learning English involves memorizing words by category - you can tell everything about notebooks, books, pens, pencils, etc. from school days, knowledge of your vocabulary can be measured in several hundred words, but you can apply them to communication as described above reasons, you can't.
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 are about 95% of what would need to be said or heard in the most ordinary situation.
The right vocabulary helps you understand a lot with very little effort spent on learning.

A foreign language is not a luxury, but a means of communication. Globalization of the world, business expansion and independent travel are not possible without knowledge of foreign languages. People want to study them, but spend as little money and time as possible, and this is a normal desire. Teachers shout about magical methods, using which students will immediately speak English or German. Is this real? Will the Pimsleur method help you speak?

Brief historical background

This approach to foreign languages was proposed by Dr. Paul Pimsleur. In the 70s of the 20th century, the author proposed materials for studying English, Spanish, French and Greek. Published by Simon&Schuster teaching aids, as well as audio materials for them.

Basic principles of the Pimsleur method

All training is focused on such types of speech activities as listening and speaking. That is, a series of lessons is essentially listening to audio recordings and pronouncing phrases. The author based the Pimsleur method on 4 principles:

anticipation (the student does not repeat phrases after the teacher, but tries to respond correctly to the cue, construct the phrase himself)
repetitions (repetition of the studied vocabulary at increasing intervals of time is required)
the most important words(a vocabulary of approximately 2000 units is studied; according to the author, these are the words that are most often used in speech. By remembering them, a person will understand about 80% of the text on a general topic)
conformity with nature (the author himself called it “organic learning”, i.e. we study foreign speech as it is inherent in nature in childhood, we do not learn from native language first read, and then speak, but everything is exactly the opposite. The child first listens a lot, then speaks, and only then goes to school and learns to read and write)

Who is it suitable for?

Answer three questions. Make sure this is what you need.

1) Who are you?

We are all different and that's a fact! Let's consider different modalities of people or, more simply put, how they better remember the material they are studying. According to the method of S. Efremtseva, the following groups are distinguished: kinesthetics(touch), visuals(the main thing is to look at it to save it in memory) and auditory(must be heard to be remembered), also highlighted mixed type . So, this system is best suited only for a group of auditory learners. So before you try it for yourself new method First take the test and find out your dominant perceptual modality.

2) How old are you?

The age of the student is important!

Returning to the principle of conformity with nature, we can confidently say that this system would be suitable for children to school age. Courses for preschool children in the form of songs, poems, and rhymes are based on this. But it won’t be suitable, since the form of work: sitting and listening, is not age appropriate.

And for school age this is not so relevant. Children grow up, their perception of the world and interests change. Our children are interested in playing on a tablet, where they can listen, watch, and also interact with it. move, buttons are pressed, bonuses are collected. Children listen little purposefully, as, for example, they used to listen to records with fairy tales, and then to cassettes on tape recorders. Modern children find it difficult to force themselves to listen to lessons using the Pimsleur method.

But for adults, these classes are suitable if you can find time in your daily schedule. For example, someone can allocate time on the way to and from work, maybe someone has free time during lunch break. A telephone, internet and headphones are the minimum equipment needed to complete the course.

3) What kind of English do you need?

You need to determine the English version. There are two of them: American and British (). All Dr. Pimsleur's materials are American English. The British version is also called classic and is studied in schools. Please note: these options differ in vocabulary, grammar and pronunciation!

How to study the material

So, we found the audio recordings of the course, decided that the Pimsleur method suits you, what to do next.

The course consists of 3 blocks of 30 audio recordings, i.e. 30 lessons each. The first block is for beginners, the second and third for intermediate ones.

One lesson is allotted 30 minutes. Psychologists believe that this optimal time by duration. Adults are able to hold voluntary attention and not get tired during this time.

Working on a lesson consists only of listening and speaking. You cannot write down words, read or look up the meanings of new words in dictionaries.

Pros and cons

Let's analyze the pros and cons of this method of learning pros.

Pros:

low financial costs, you can study at home for free;
small lessons over time, you can find time once a day if you set a goal;
the correct American pronunciation is given, as it is voiced by a native speaker;
the minimum, but the most used lexical units are practiced;
studies how words are used in phrases and sentences in specific situations.

Cons:

Suitable for adults with good listening comprehension;
limited vocabulary, a person may be stunned when hearing new units in speech;
No feedback, i.e. when working independently, no one will tell you whether you pronounce words and phrases correctly or not (it’s better to work with a teacher later to reinforce them);
there is a problem with reading and writing, because these aspects are not covered in any way in this course. Therefore, it is better to combine this method with others;
When you learn ready-made phrases, it becomes difficult to use them. How to change a necessary word if you don’t know the grammatical rules.

It turned out 50 to 50. This confirms that the Pimsleur method is controversial and therefore causes a lot of controversy.

Think for yourself, decide for yourself!

We are looking for effective and simple ways learning languages. In fact, any method can be effective, start with yourself: remove laziness and add more discipline.

Efficiency depends on the person: the more and more regularly the independent exercises, the more better result. Practice at least 10-15 minutes a day, and you will see that speaking without fear of anything is real!

If you find an error, please highlight a piece of text and click Ctrl+Enter.

I've heard about this method of learning American English for a long time. But I immediately liked the Rosetta Stone course that I wrote about, so I didn’t really look at Pimsleur.

But the whole point is that if I liked something and went quietly, this does not mean at all that the same thing will suit you. Therefore, today I will briefly outline the Pimsleur technique. And you try it yourself and choose what is best for you.

First, who is Dr. Pimsleur? Open Wikipedia and read.

Paul Pimsleur (October 17, 1927 – June 22, 1976) was an American linguist known for his work in applied linguistics.

Biography

He graduated from the City College of New York and received a Master's degree in psychological statistics and a PhD in French from Columbia University.

Taught phonetics and phonology French at the University of California. He was a professor of French at the University at Albany. He served as a Fulbright lecturer at Heidelberg University in 1968 and 1969. He was engaged in research into the psychology of language learning and in 1969 was appointed chairman of the section on the psychology of second language learning at International Congress in applied linguistics.

His research focuses on understanding language acquisition, especially the organic learning of children who speak a language without awareness of its formal structure. To do this, he studied the learning process in groups of children, adults, and groups of multilingual adults. As a result this study The Pimsleur language learning system was created. His numerous books and articles have influenced the theory of language learning and teaching.

Between 1958 and 1966, Pimsleur revised his views, reflected in previously published research, regarding linguistics and psychological factors in language learning. This led to the publication in 1963 of the monograph Underachievement in Foreign Language Learning. foreign language) co-authored with other scientists, which was published with the assistance of the Modern Language Association of America.

In this study, Pimsleur identified three measurable factors for calculating language ability: language learning ability, hearing, and motivation. Pimsleur and colleagues developed the Pimsleur Language Ability Scale (PLAB) based on these three factors. Pimsleur was one of the first foreign language teachers to take an interest in students with language difficulties who were also excelling in other subjects. Today, PLAB is used to determine language ability or even language learning disability.

Paul Pimsleur died suddenly from heart attack during a visit to France.

The man didn’t live long, only 48 years old. But his contribution to the science of language learning is obvious. Let's take our hats off in gratitude and see what this course is all about.

I offer you the first lesson of 30 for your consideration. Read, listen. If you like it, you can easily find Pimsleur lessons on the Internet. There are three courses in total, in ascending order.

And this is the text of the lesson:

Listen to this conversation.

M - Are you Russian?
S - Yes, Miss.

In a few minutes, you will not only understand the meaning of this conversation, but you will also be able to take part in it. Let's imagine a Russian man who came to America. He wants to talk to the American woman who is standing next to him.

To begin with he says:
Sorry.
Excuse me.

The American announcer will repeat this phrase in parts, starting from the end. Repeat after him, trying to follow his pronunciation exactly.

Be sure to speak out loud.
Me, Me
Use, use
Cuse, Cuse
Ex, Ex
Excuse, Excuse
Excuse me, Excuse me

How to say "sorry" in English?
Excuse me
Excuse me

Now he wants to ask if she understands Russian. Let's start with the word "in Russian".

Listen and repeat.
Russian
Russian
Sian
Sian
Ru
Ru
Russian
Russian
Russian

Have you noticed that English sound Is the “r” at the beginning of this word different from the Russian “r”?

Now just listen.
Russian
Ra
Russian

Listen and repeat, trying to imitate the speaker's pronunciation.
Russian
Russian

Say "sorry."
Excuse me

Repeat after the speaker, trying to accurately copy his pronunciation.
Excuse me
Excuse me

Say “Russian” again
Russian

Now he wants to ask, “Do you understand?” Here's how to say “you understand,” just listen:
Understand

Repeat after the speaker step by step:
Stand
Stand
Der, Der
Derstand
Un
Under
Understand
Understand

Say “you understand” again.
Understand
Understand

Here's how to say "you understand." Listen and repeat:
You understand.
You
You
You understand
You understand

Say "you understand."
You understand.

Remember how to say “in Russian”?
Russian

Say “you understand” again.
You understand.

Now try saying “you understand Russian.”
You understand Russian.
You understand Russian.

And this word is often used to ask a question in English.

Listen and repeat:
Do
Do
Do

In English, a declarative sentence can often be turned into a question simply by placing the word at the beginning of the phrase.

Say “you understand” again.
You understand

Try asking “do you understand?”
Do you understand?
Do you understand?

Say "sorry."
Excuse me.
Excuse me.

Ask if I understand.
Do you understand?

Do you understand Russian?
Do you understand Russian?

The woman answers “no.” Listen and repeat.
No.
No.
No.

Now she responds with a more polite “no, sir.” Listen and repeat.
No, sir.
Sir, Sir.
No, sir.

This is a polite way of addressing to a stranger. Say "sir" again. Pay attention to the sound at the end of the word.
Sir
Sir

Tell the man a polite “no.”
No, sir.

How do you say "excuse me sir"?
Excuse me, sir.

How do you ask someone if they "get it"?
Do you understand?
Do you understand?

Do you understand Russian?
Do you understand Russian?
Do you understand Russian?

The man answers “I understand” with the word “I” at the beginning. Listen and repeat:
I
I
I

And now the word “I understand.”
Understand.
Understand.
I understand.

Have you noticed that “understand” and “understand” are denoted by the same word in English?

Now say “I understand.”
I understand.
I understand.
I understand.

You hear these two words spoken almost together. Try saying “I understand Russian.”
I understand Russian.
I understand Russian.

Now say “you understand.”
You understand.

Say “I understand” again.
I understand.

Do you remember how to ask a question in English? Do you understand?
Do you understand?

Ask a woman “do you understand Russian?”
Do you understand Russian?

Do you understand Russian?
Russian.
Do you understand Russian?

She politely replies “no sir.”
No, sir.
No, sir.

How to say “I understand”?
I understand.

Now she wants to say “I don’t understand.” Listen and repeat.
I don't understand.
Don't
Don't
Don't understand
Don't understand

I don't
I don't
I don't understand.

What makes this phrase negative is “don’t”.

Pay attention to the pronunciation. Notice that the "t" sound at the end of the word almost disappears.

Listen and repeat.
Don't
Don't
I don't understand.

I don't understand.
Don't

There are many sounds in the English language that, like the “t” sound, disappear when speaking at a fast pace. However, it is important to notice them because they often change the meaning of the entire phrase.

Say “I don’t understand” again.
I don't understand.

Say "in Russian"
Russian
Russian

Remember the English "r" sound. Say “I don’t understand Russian.”
I don’t understand Russian.

Ask “do you understand?”
Do you understand?
Do
Do you understand?

Ask me if I understand Russian.
Do you understand Russian?
Do you understand Russian?

Try answering “no, I don’t understand.”
No, I don’t understand.
No, I don’t understand.

Note that in English it is not customary to omit words like “I” and “you” even in short answers.

Now answer “I understand.”
I understand.
I

This is what the name of the English language sounds like in English.

Listen and repeat.
English
Lish
Lish
Ing
Ing
English
English

Say "in English"
English

This word contains the sound “ing”, one of those sounds in the English language that is not found in Russian.

Listen and repeat to practice correct pronunciation.
ing
English
English

Say “I understand.”
I understand

Say “I understand English.”
I understand English.
I understand English.

Now tell me what you don't understand in English.
I don't understand English.

Say “you understand English.”
You understand English.
You understand English.

Do you understand English?
Do you understand English?

Here's how to say "a little." For now, just listen.
a little

Listen and repeat.
a little
L
L
Li
Li
Lit
Lit
Little
Little
Little
A
a little
a little

Did you notice the “i” sound in the middle of this word?

Say “a little” again.
a little
little

Pay attention to the sound “a” that comes at the beginning.

Say "a little."
a little
a
a little

You want to say “I understand a little.” Listen and repeat.
I understand a little.
I understand a little.

Pay attention to the word order. Literally you say “I understand a little.”

Say you understand a little.
I understand a little.
I understand a little.

Ask if I understand English.
Do you understand English?
Do you understand English?

Now say “I understand English.”
I understand English.
I understand English.

Say “a little” again.
a little

Listen and repeat “I understand a little English.”

I understand English a little.

Tell me that you understand a little English.
I understand English a little.
I understand English a little.

The woman wants to ask him “are you Russian?” Do you remember how to say “I understand Russian”?
I understand Russian.
Russian.

The words “Russian” and “in Russian” in English correspond to the same word.

Say "Russian".
Russian
Russian

Here's how to say "you're Russian." Listen and repeat.
You are Russian.
Are
Are
You
you are
You are Russian.

The word “are” in the middle of this phrase corresponds to the word “est”, which is usually omitted in Russian. But in English this word is always used. So literally you say “you are Russian.”

Say it again.
You are Russian.
You are Russian.

Swap the first two words and now you can ask: “Are you Russian?”

Try this.
Are you Russian?
Are you
Are you Russian?

Remember how to say "sorry"?
Excuse me?

Ask “do you understand English?”
Do you understand English?
Do you understand English?

Ask "Are you Russian"
Are you Russian?
Are you
Are you Russian?

Here's how to say yes. Listen and repeat.
Yes
Yes
Yes

Say yes again.
Yes

In America, it is customary to address a young woman you don’t know by calling her “Miss.”

Listen and repeat.
Miss
Miss
Miss

Say yes miss.
Yes, miss.
Yes, miss.

Ask "are you Russian"
Are you Russian?
Are you Russian?

Answer "yes, miss"
Yes, miss.
Yes, miss.

Ask if I understand English.
Do you understand English?

Now say “yes I understand English”
Yes, I understand English.

Now listen to the same conversation you listened to at the beginning of the lesson, just a few minutes ago.

S - Excuse me, Miss. Do you understand Russian?
M - No, sir. I don’t understand Russian.
S - I understand English a little.
M - Are you Russian?
S - Yes, Miss.

Listen again.
S - Excuse me, Miss. Do you understand Russian?
M - No, sir. I don’t understand Russian.
S - I understand English a little.
M - Are you Russian?
S - Yes, Miss.

Now imagine that a young American woman is sitting next to you, and you want to talk to her.

Where do you start?
Excuse me. Excuse me, miss.

She doesn't answer, try asking if she understands.
Do you understand? Do you understand?

Ask her if she understands English.
Do you understand English? Do you understand English?

And again there is no answer. Ask if she understands Russian.
Do you understand Russian? Do you understand Russian?
No, no sir.

How can I tell her that she doesn’t understand Russian?
I don’t understand Russian. I don’t understand Russian.

How does she ask if you understand English?
Do you understand English? Do you understand English, sir?

Tell her you understand a little.
I understand a little. I understand a little.

How does she ask if you are Russian?
Are you Russian? Are you Russian?

Answer "yes, miss"
Yes, miss. Yes, miss.

Now she will ask you a question, try to answer it.

Do you understand Russian, sir?
Yes, I understand Russian.
Yes, miss, I understand Russian.

She will ask you one more question. Answer using the word little.
Do you understand English?
Do you understand English?
A little. I understand English a little.

And this is true. Now you already understand a little English. Don't worry if you make mistakes sometimes. Everything you learned today will be repeated in future lessons.