Friday, March 7, 2008

French for mommies: Pimsleur versus Michel Thomas II

In a continuation from what I mentioned yesterday (or the day before--Blogger doesn't let you fudge your posting times, and I forgot to publish before midnight), I would like to suggest Michel Thomas over Pimsleur for the following reasons:
  1. It is better for the absolute beginner. With Pimsleur, I think a large part of my success was having some previous background in French. Much of what I learned at the beginning I already knew, making me feel an immediate sense of confidence. However, if I'd little or no exposure, I think it would have felt much more intimidating. Michel Thomas, however, starts by showing similarities between French and English, and words one may already know in French from phrases that are familiar in English, such as C'est la vie, building the absolute beginner's sense of confidence in the language.

  2. Michel Thomas focuses on finding patterns in the language, making the language "make sense" early on. For example, in French (unlike English), all syllables have equal weight, but the last syllable always carries the accent.

  3. Michel Thomas doesn't start with the "Hello, how are you?" kinds of phrases in typical language programs. Instead, the focus is on the most commonly used words in French, and encourages guessing--a skill necessary for effective second-language learning. By the beginning of the second CD, you are able to say, "What impression do you have of the political and economic situation in France at the present time?" Impressive, non? Eventually, you get to the ability to greet, but after you've already mastered a lot of other, more sophisticated language.
More tomorrow.

3 comments:

Sarah @ Baby Bilingual said...

Interessant...my first reaction, though, to reading that question is to wonder how the beginning-level student would be able to understand the French person's response about the political and economic climate!

I had never heard of the Michel Thomas method before and am intrigued by how different it sounds from the typical "greetings" lessons for beginners. Did you find the prices reasonable for these two sets of materials?

Have you looked into Rosetta Stone as well?

I notice you have linked to "Chemin du retour"--it's a fabulous way to learn French and about French culture (everything from food and music to personal space and habits). Using the video and the accompanying viewer's guide (workbook) is great for listening comprehension and developing skills in general, but for grammar instruction you'd need to supplement it, either with a program you're already using or the college textbook that CDR was written for. (I taught CDR for a couple of years and was very impressed.)

And one final comment: I don't know if you were visiting my blog when I wrote this post, so here's a link to some other suggestions for supplementing the CDs you're using: http://babybilingual.blogspot.com/2007/11/suggestions-for-supplementing-rosetta.html

Bonne chance!

Anonymous said...

Wow, that is certainly impressive!! I think that I want to learn French too!!

Carey said...

Sarah, thanks! I'm so honoured by your visits to my blog. You're one of my language heros!

Michel Thomas and Pimsleur are both expensive. However, being the bargain hunter I am, I found my copy of Pimsleur on eBay. I purchased the SD chip, which is cheaper even when you purchase it new. The chip contains all three levels. I got mine for $140 with local pickup so I saved on shipping too. Quite a steal.

Michel Thomas is not as expensive as Pimsleur, as it only has two levels, and it can be purchased used at Amazon.com (or Amazon.ca for us Canadians).

As to "Chemin du retour," I had seen your post and linked to this resource, but I've not actually used it. Right now, with so many other financial priorities, homeschooling and so on, I found the cost prohibitive. It's a newer resource, so I don't know how to find it cheaper. I had considered the online license, but I understand now that in China, internet access is available everywhere, but not always as reliable as in North America. I may not be able to use these kinds of resources. I'm already trying to assemble CD Roms for things I'm using online licenses for.

Thanks for your wonderful suggestions!