"Rosetta Stone Courses" Topic

Anyone use these and are they worth it? Did it help you get semi fluent? They now have Irish available!

The only problems with CD/text based courses is that they can't do any remedial work with you, and you can't ask questions – well you can, but you're not going to get an answer IYSWIM

If your accent's terrible, for instance, you're on your own

In the UK the Open University do a series of distance learning language courses with tutor and group support. Does anything like that exist in the States (I assume that's where you're based)? It's a far better option

I thought the Irish spoke English. Isn't Ireland in England?

Just kidding! Stop throwing things! Just a joke. Ireland is right between Indianna and El Salvador and they speak Welsh there. I can't remember if Welsh is the one with too many vowels or not enough, or maybe that Croatian.

Self-paced langauge courses require motivation, and occasional access to a fluent speaker. Personally I lack the former, so remain monolingual despite all the materials around the house meant to make me otherwise.

Andrew

The most important question here is how do YOU effectively learn a new language?

Claims that such-and-such is the "best" way towards acquisition ignore the fact that people learn differently. Rosetta (and simliar courses) make much of their doing away with "tedious" grammar exercises and memorization, which is well and good for people who aren't wired for that. However, for some students that is the best way, possibly the only way towards competence. I've studied quite a few languages in my time and I really need to have the nuts and bolts (grammar, syntax, phonetics, etc.) laid out for me to get a solid foundation.

Some people, OTOH, do better with the semi-immersion style of learning, the biggest stumbling block I've seen being they don't always prepare you to communicate outside of the parameters of the material.

I've known a few folks who have had success with Rosetta programs. As Andrew points out, any kind of self-taught course requires dedication and perseverance above all else.

The questions wasn't the efficacy of cd/text based course he asked if any one had experience with the ROSETTA STONE courses. As their adds make claims that they are better then other methods.

I took a course modeled after this style (I think_?) in undergrad many moons ago, where you see a picture and then the word is spoken, like a kid learns. I still remember stuff (which never happens) so any who this one has a voice/accent checker for lack of a better word. I have some serious problems with spelling so I thought this might be more fun than boring grammar over and over….

I have no experience with Rosetta Stone, I'm afraid.

But I do speak fluent Gaeilge. Did you want to learn it?

Agus anois, gabh mo leithscéal, a dhaoine uaisle, mar ní foláir dom rud éigean trom a lorg chun caitheamh i dtreo Andrew Walters.

Damn….got as far as "And now,…" and then lost it. I really need a lot more practice/more lessons. Of course, I was also learning Scots instead of Irish, so some of the pronunciations are different…

Yup, Scots Gaelic is pronounced and spelt differently.

In the interest of clarity, what I said was:

"And now, excuse me, noble people, excuse me as I am forced to admit that I must seek something weighty in order to throw it in the direction of Andrew Walters".

If it works like iouliared says it might work well in combination with another method. I'm one of those people who needs to know the nuts and bolts of the grammar, but I pick that part up pretty quickly. What I have trouble with is learning vocabulary and it sounds like this method might help with that. So in combination with a solid grammar book the combo might work well.

If Ireland is not the thing next to Indiana, is it that island between India and Mariachi? If I was looking at a map of Africa honestly I could find it right away. The capital is Notre Dame.

Maybe I better just duck for a while.

Andrew

I'd say that whether or not they claim to be the most effective method in town for language learning, a big YMMV would be in order, just as the others mentioned.

I think the most important thing for learnin a language is having lots of motivation, supported by self discipline and a suitable learning method. You'll need all three, and the learning method is just one part of the equation.