The Pimsleur Language Programs are...

Scientific.

Based on Dr. Paul Pimsleur's linguistic research, the programs teach language the way our brains are designed to best learn it - through use and repetition, practice and recollection, and NOT through rote memorization or learning complex rules. Children usually master their native language within 2-3 years and without ever learning to read or write. The Pimsleur programs take a similar approach - you start learning by hearing and speaking, by asking and answering questions. Not only do you acquire a working vocabulary and intuitive grammar, but also the ever so important confidence with your new skills, a confidence, the lack of which alone holds back many people from progressing in the language they are trying to learn.

Efficient.

Based on several scientific principles and methods, the Pimsleur programs immediatly get to the point - to give you the most needed skills in the new language. The principles and methods are: Backwards Buildup Drill, Graduated Interval Recall, Principle of Anticipation, Core Vocabulary and Organic Learning.

Backward Buildup Drill...

...is a very effective method for introducing new words and is an effective method for producing correct or good accent. First, a new word is pronounced as a whole, for example:
INTRODUCTION

then, the word will be taught by fragments, starting from the last one, like this:

-DUCTION (you will be asked to repeat)

-TRO-DUCTION (again, you'll repeat the new fragment)

and finally

IN-TRO-DUCTION

This method is essential for learning difficult words and for developing proper pronunciation. You will also find it hard to forget the new words :-)

Principle of Anticipation...

...requires you to anticipate a correct answer. Practically, what this means is that you must retrieve the answer from your own memory before it is confirmed in the lesson. It works as follows:
The lesson will pose a challenge - perhaps by asking you, in the new language:

- Are you going to the movies today?

There will be a pause, and, drawing on information given previously in the lesson, you will say:

- No, I went yesterday.

The instructor will then confirm your answer: No, I went yesterday.

Before Dr. Pimsleur created his teaching method, language courses were based instead on the principle of repetition. Teachers drummed words into the students' minds over and over, as if the mind were a record whose grooves wore deeper with repetition. However, neurophysiologists tell us that, on the contrary, simple and unchallenging repetition has a hypnotic, even dulling effect on the learning process. Eventually, the words being repeated will lose their meaning. Dr. Pimsleur discovered that learning accelerates when there is an INPUT/OUTPUT system of interaction, in which students receive information and then are asked to retrieve and use it.

Graduated Interval Recall...

...is a complex name for a very simple theory about memory. No aspect of learning a foreign language is more important than memory, yet before Dr. Pimsleur's work, no one had explored more effective ways for building language memory. In his research, Dr. Pimsleur discovered how long students remembered new information and at what intervals they needed to be reminded of it. If reminded too soon or too late, they failed to retain the information. This discovery enabled him to create a SCHEDULE of exactly when and how the information should be reintroduced (reinforced).

Suppose you learn a new word. You tell yourself to remember it, but after five minutes you can't recall it. If you'd been reminded of it after five seconds, you probably would have remembered it for maybe a minute - then you would have needed another reminder. Each time you are reminded, you remember the word a bit longer than you did the time before. The intervals between reminders become longer and longer, until you eventually remember the word without being reminded at all.

The Pimsleur programs are designed to remind you of new information at the exact intervals where maximum retention takes place. Each time your memory begins to fade, you will be asked to recall the word. Through this powerful method, you progress from short-term to long-term memory without being aware of it, while avoiding the monotonous rote repetition used in traditional language courses.

Core Vocabulary...

The Principle of Anticipation and Graduated Interval Recall are the foundation of the Pimsleur Method, but there are other unique components that are also important. One is the theory of a core vocabulary. We have all been intimidated, when approaching a new language, by the sheer number of new words we must learn. But extensive research has shown that we actually need a comparatively limited number of words to be able to communicate effectively in any language.
Language can be divided into two distinct categories: grammatical structures (function words) and concrete vocabulary (content words). By focusing on function words and enabling the student to comprehend and employ the structure of a new language, Dr. Pimsleur found that language learners were able to more readily put new knowledge to use. There are very few content words that are used every day. The essential core of a language involves function words, which tend to relate to human activities. To illustrate: just 10 words in the English language occur about 33% of the time. These are the various articles and grammar words, like the, of, and, to, in and so on. There are about 100 words that occur about 50% of the time. Most conversations can be easily handled in most languages if you know just under 1000 words! And by the time you do, your learning potential becomes exponential - you learn by using spoken and written language, not by taking classes!

Organic Learning...

The Pimsleur Method centers around teaching, in the shortest time possible, functional mastery in understanding and speaking a language. You will be working on your vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation all at once, while also learning phrases that have practical use in daily life. It has been said that language is primarily speech. With this concept in mind, Dr. Pimsleur created his language programs on audio because he knew that students of languages would learn better with their ears, not their eyes. This is achieved through what Dr. Pimsleur called Organic Learning, which entails learning on several fronts at once. His system enables the student to learn grammar, vocabulary, and pronunciation in a natural and exciting way. 
The Pimsleur programs are designed to teach you to understand and to speak the essential elements of your new language in a relatively short time. During each half-hour lesson, you will actually converse with two people, using the type of language spoken by educated citizens in their everyday business and social life. The program's unique method for presenting dialogue relieves you of most common learning problems.
 

Affordable.

Although the cost of a Pimsleur program is relatively high, the programs are easily resold on eBay or to friends for about 60-70% of their retail value. And if you compare with the cost of college-level courses and other conventional methods, there is truly no comparison!

Start Learning Today...

...by ordering a course from HookedOnPimsleur eBay Store eBay Store!