From 1969 to 1973, Bertelsmann acquired a majority share in the company and gradually increased it over time. The company was founded in 1965 by Richard Gruner, John Jahr, and Gerd Bucerius.
And, unlike quite a few other German audiotape programs I have purchased in the past, the Pimsleur tapes do not employ a Southern German accent with the tell-tale rolled "R" instead of the uvular "R." (Could you imagine spending so much money just to find out later that you speak fluent German but with a regional accent?) If anyone is ready to invest $700 or more in a self-study audiotape program, he or she should at least make sure that the program teaches a "proper" accent before making the investment, and the three levels of the Pimsleur program are definitely a wise investment.Gruner + Jahr was a publishing house headquartered in Hamburg, Germany. I felt progressively more dejected as I was nearing the completion of Level III as I realized there wasn't a Level IV that I could advance to.Ĭompleting all 3 levels gave me greater confidence and facility in my pronunciation, in addition to making it much easier for me to comprehend and retain German grammar and word order that I was studying on my own concurrent with the tapes. This is because going through the three levels was akin to my hiring a private German tutor to first teach me some basic grammar, word order, and vocabulary, and then tirelessly and effectively drill me on the newly learned material as well as reinforce previously acquired knowledge. However, I realized very shortly into Level I that the interactive approach, which is the hallmark of the Pimsleur pedagogy, was well worth every penny of my hard-earned money. The Comprehensive Programs are all available on cassettes and are also on CD in the six languages in which we offer the Basic Program on CD.īefore I embarked on the 3 Pimsleur German levels, I was rather concerned as to whether I was making a wise investment (over $700) for a bunch of tapes sans accompanying textbooks.
#Pimsleur german ulrike rettig full
At the end of a full Comprehensive Program listeners will be conducting complete conversations and be well on their way to mastering the language. The Comprehensive Program is available in a wide variety of languages and runs through three levels (thirty lessons each) in French, German, Italian, Japanese, Russian and Spanish. Using the same simple method of interactive self-practice with native speakers, these comprehensive programs provide a complete language learning course. For those who want to become proficient in the language of their choice, the Comprehensive programs go beyond the Basic Programs to offer spoken-language fluency.
The Comprehensive Program is the ultimate in spoken language learning. No other language program or school is as quick, convenient, and effective as the Pimsleur Language Programs. By listening and responding to thirty minute recorded lessons, students easily and effectively achieve spoken proficiency. Paul Pimsleur, the programs teach listeners to combine words and phrases to express themselves the way native speakers do. Using a unique method of memory recall developed by renowned linguist, Dr. The various components of language - vocabulary, pronunciation and grammar - are all learned together without rote memorization and drills. The Pimsleur programs provide a method of self-practice with an expert teacher and native speakers in lessons specially designed to work with the way the mind naturally acquires language information. With Pimsleur Language Programs you don't just study a language, you learn it - the same way you mastered English! And because the technique relies on interactive spoken language training, the Pimsleur Language Programs are totally audio - no book is needed!