Piimsler's method. Learning foreign languages

Learning foreign languages is necessary - people have understood this for a long time. And if earlier the most "running" was English, now it was added to others, both European and rarer. In an effort to help everyone who wants to learn knowledge quickly, teachers and scientists come up with new ways of teaching. Extremely popular was, for example, learning English using the Pimsler method. We suggest today to find out what is remarkable about it.

Why learn foreign languages?

In the conditions of rapid rapprochement of countries from the economic, political, cultural and other points of view, it was an unacceptable luxury to know only the native dialect. English is a necessary minimum, which can be useful to any person at any time. Foreign online shopping, instructions for use, some highly specialized articles, interesting books and films, travel - to access many of these benefits of humanity and realize their full potential, one must know at least one foreign language.

It is not surprising that, having realized this, people began to develop various methods that allow them to learn new knowledge as quickly and effectively as possible, in other words - to start talking and understanding interlocutors from other countries. These methods are based on a variety of principles.

Basic principles of studying

Polyglots and professionals say that if you want you can learn any language. Someone does it easier, someone more difficult, but it is extremely important to observe two principles: comprehensive practice and regularity. It is believed that the most effective learning of foreign languages immediately from three main sides: reading, listening and speaking. As for the second principle, it is very simple - you can do it quite a bit, but every day. It is better, if new information is constantly received, and also the old one repeats. At the first stages you can concentrate on vocabulary, but grammar will also be needed very soon, so it will not be possible to neglect it for a long time.

And yet, despite the fact that you will have to learn the same things, you can do it in completely different ways. Linguists, translators, philologists and just enthusiasts have developed over the years a lot of ways.

Modern techniques

If you do not mention each method specifically, conditionally all of them can be divided into 6 large groups that involve some of the mechanisms of memorization. So, there are the following basic methods of learning a foreign language:

1. Traditional (lexical and grammatical). Everyone knows him without exception, because in accordance with this methodology, training programs are being built in most educational institutions. According to this method, the memorization of the language is based on the study of words and grammatical rules, the preparation of their own proposals and the translation in both directions. Programs on this method can be built on a variety of principles, but they all share one thing - a constant and active practice.
2. Dive into the environment. As a rule, this method involves a temporary transfer to the country of the studied language. However, without minimal knowledge, it is still useless - it is better to get the actual knowledge, superimposing them on certain basic principles. The advantage of this approach in its pure form is the simultaneous understanding of the country's culture, the features of life in it, etc. On the other hand, some of the knowledge may be missed.
3. Communicative method. To date, it is the second most popular after the traditional. In this case, the goal is to learn not to read or make dry sentences that are not relevant to life, but to start interacting with people using their knowledge. This group of techniques is considered the most perfect and effective, so its popularity is not surprising. A properly constructed program can give truly brilliant results.
4. The method of silence. This approach assumes that the teacher does not "press" his authority on the student, does not affect his level of knowledge with his own, but simply directs. According to this technique, no sound is pronounced in a foreign language until the study of transcriptions and reading rules is completed. This approach quickly lost popularity, probably because of its time-consuming and questionable effectiveness.
5. Method of physical response. This method also applies to rather unusual due to the fact that all knowledge students have to literally "pass through themselves." The first lessons are based on the study of verbs, to which each student eventually reacts. At the word "get up" it performs the necessary action, thus, memorizing not abstract lexemes, but using associative memory.
6. Audiolinguistic method. Often it is based on simple cramming in the "hear-repeat" scheme. This is not suitable for everyone, since perception by ear is well developed in a few. It is to this group that the widely publicized method of Dr. Pimsler applies. But what does he stand out from this group?

The Piksler method: the essence

This approach refers to the last, audio-linguistic group. The standard course contains 90 lessons divided into three levels. The first - for beginners, and the remaining two - for the continuation.

According to the creator of the methodology, the student does not need any textbooks, literally from the first sessions he can begin to speak. It is claimed that this approach is patented and has been used for several decades by US intelligence agencies.

In fact, it all comes down to repeated listening and repeating some spoken phrases, that is, certain communicative patterns are formed. This is valuable, but no language ends here.

Building lessons

Each lesson lasts no more than half an hour, because it is believed that a long duration tires the student and reduces the level of his motivation. In addition, scientists believe that this is the same period during which the brain assimilates new information most effectively. The training involves one lesson per day, so the entire course is designed for about 3 months.

The lessons of Dr. Pimsler's method suggest a constant repetition of information obtained in the course of past lessons, and later tasks appear that involve the translation of previously learned phrases. Thus, there is a training of memory and the formation of persistent templates for those or other situations.

Efficiency

As already mentioned, almost all audio-linguistic methods do not justify the learner's efforts. They are convenient as a support, additional practice, but not the basic approach. The lessons themselves by Dr. Pimsler's method are not something innovative or breakthrough. However, the correct course was to make the duration of the lesson no more than half an hour, because otherwise the students would quickly become tired and start to be frankly bored.

Of course, everyone wants to find a miraculous way to start talking in a foreign language and understand it, but, unfortunately, it does not happen. The acquisition of knowledge, and even more so in such a complex area, requires considerable. Probably, that is why polyglots are so admired.

In addition, Paul Pimsler studied the learning mechanisms of the language mainly on the example of children, which in this sense are very different from adults.

For Russian-speaking

You can learn a number of languages (Japanese, Chinese, Greek, Hindi, Arabic, French, Spanish, German) using the Pimsler method. This also gives some thought to certain thoughts, because there can not be any universal solution. True, such a large selection is available only to those who already know English, the rest have to be satisfied with much less. Whether this is due to the gradual fading of interest in the methodology after the death of its creator or doubts about its effectiveness is unknown.

So, for example, the method of Pimsler for Russian speakers is limited only to the most popular language - English. However, there are a lot of analogues that have a much larger set, but about the same effect. Few audio courses require the study of grammar, and without it the value of knowledge is reduced to almost zero.

Benefits

Like any audiolinguistic approach, Dr. Pimsler's method immediately forms the correct pronunciation and teaches you to understand foreign speech by ear. Besides, memorizing not individual words, but phrases gives a certain advantage, which pupils are often deprived of in other approaches. In this case, a person does not have to form a phrase in his native language, but only then translate it into the desired one. Linguistic templates allow you to react to certain situations at once, without this delay, because the constant practice produces a unique reaction. However, at the same time this is a minus.

disadvantages

Of course, the student will be able to ask a foreigner a question and even start a dialogue with him, but any deviation from the "standard" will become a kind of shock, but one and the same can be said in very different words. Replacement of any word in the phrase is extremely difficult, and Pimsler's methods do not prepare well for this.

The second serious drawback is the concentration of the approach solely on speaking. A rather limited lexical stock is being formed, and grammar in general remains undeveloped. In addition, students subsequently find it difficult to correlate written and spoken language. So it is not necessary to talk about a thorough and comprehensive study, if we use only the Pimsler method.

Reviews

The reaction to this approach is rather contradictory. Many admire this technique, some consider it a mere waste of money and time. It is difficult to say who is right. Most still converge in one - this course helps those who learn the language from scratch, but it is better to combine it with mastering grammar rules. In any case, you can always try and decide how this or that method is suitable or not for a particular student. After all, the mechanisms of learning and memory vary widely among all.

Possible use

The method of Dr. Pimsler can be a good help for those who for one reason or another do not speak the language, while being able to write, read and write sentences. He helps improve pronunciation, while doing other things in parallel, but talking about it as a basic approach to learning any language would be incorrect. It can also come for those who, for example, briefly ended up in a foreign country, and they need to explain elementary things about everyday topics. For a more in-depth study, this technique is no longer suitable.

Auditing is an important element of practice, it is known to any person who has ever faced the learning of someone else's speech. Students-translators spend many hours in language labs, but this is only part of the overall picture when it comes to learning foreign languages. So do not just use this technique, while learning the vocabulary, grammar, syntax and other important aspects in parallel. So the Pimsler method is not a "panacea", but it can significantly help those who want to speak in a foreign language.