Path: cdrom.com!barrnet.net!agate!blanket.mitre.org!MathWorks.Com!europa.eng.gtefsd.com!howland.reston.ans.net!pipex!sunic!trane.uninett.no!eunet.no!nuug!EU.net!uunet!news1.digex.net!digex.net!not-for-mail From: enews@access1.digex.net (Christopher M. Griffin) Newsgroups: alt.cd-rom,comp.publish.cdrom.software,alt.cd-rom.reviews Subject: CD-ROM World Date: 7 Jun 1994 11:36:44 -0400 Organization: Express Access Online Communications, Greenbelt, MD USA Lines: 126 Message-ID: <2t246c$anp@access1.digex.net> NNTP-Posting-Host: access1.digex.net Xref: cdrom.com alt.cd-rom:4643 comp.publish.cdrom.software:550 alt.cd-rom.reviews:204 The featured article from the June 1994 issue of CD-ROM World describes methods for using a personal computer and CD-ROM to learn a foreign language. Here is an excerpt from Shelley Cryan's article "Speak Easy." _____________________________________________________________________________ In today's global marketplace, it's important to be able to converse in more than one language. Even Bill Clinton speaks a smattering of German. But for many people, learning a foreign language conjures up images of high school with all its drills and drudgery. Language acquisition a la CD-ROM may be the breakthrough busy professionals and their children have been waiting for. Ironically, the beauty of computer instruction is its ability to give you personal feedback. You know instantly if you're right, and if not, the computer will tell you why not. Many programs let you record and play back your own voice, so you can compare it to the on-disc instructor as often as you like. Although certainly no substitute for a personal tutor, interactive programs simulate the give-and-take of real conversations. Compared to floppy disks, CDs hold a greater variety of sounds, videos, and still images that can cement concepts in your mind. With some practice, you should be able to reach first-year-level proficiency (see "Talking Tips," page 44). Language-instruction CDs, which number in the dozens, come in two flavors. Companies such as HyperGlot, Fairfield Language, BayWare, and Sierra On-Line offer complete, structured courses. Ordered lessons delve into the details of grammar, syntax, spelling, and vocabulary. Other programs, from such firms as Syracuse Language Systems, use exercises or games to build specific language skills. These are best suited as a refresher or accompaniment to an academic or CD-based course. Many discs focus on vocabulary building, grammar skills, and ear training. In addition, you'll find foreign-language instruction buried in popular reference and children's titles. For instance, Microsoft Encarta ($139; tel: 206-936-7329) lets you sample words and phrases in 60 foreign languages. It gives beginners a feel for the sound of many languages, and you may learn some vocabulary, too. Some of Br?derbund's Living Books series CDs ($39.95 each; tel: 800-521-6263) can be played in Spanish and Japanese as well as in English. Because the stories are geared toward younger children, the vocabulary is appropriate for beginning students. The tales are read slowly and clearly, and you can follow along onscreen with the written text. Titles available include Arthur's Teacher Trouble, Just Grandma and Me, and The Tortoise and the Hare. (For more on children's titles, see "In One Ear, Not Out the Other," page 44.) Travel CDs often are a good source for an introduction to a foreign language. Queue's Mac- and Windows-compatible Let's Visit.... series ($49.95; tel: 800-232-2224), for example, contains vocabulary and phrases from several European tongues. For a heavy dose of cultural instruction, try Voyager's Mac-based Exotic Japan ($59.95; tel: 212-431-5199). Bowing technique is explored in one of the 165 lessons. While its language instruction is not as comprehensive as Power Japanese (mentioned below), Exotic Japan nonetheless covers the basics of Japanese grammar, vocabulary, and pronunciation and includes a record and playback feature that lets you compare your pronunciation with that of a native speaker. ______________________________________________________________________________ So begins this issue's featured article from CD-ROM World. This article and others from CD-ROM World and additional publications can be viewed at no charge on The Electronic Newsstand, a service which collects articles, editorials, and table of contents from over 100 magazines and provides them to the Global Internet community. 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