Learn How to Speak the German Language for only $19.95

German

The German Language Program contains 27 hours of audio, and two textbooks in PDF file format with 725 pages.

It is the aim of the German course to provide the student with a useful control of the structure of the spoken language and of a basic vocabulary which meets at least some of the specialized needs of the State Dept. After completion of the basic course the student should be able to make limited practical use of the language in his official duties and social obligations. He will furthermore have the means, given the proper surroundings and personal motivation, for continued rapid and efficient development of proficiency.

The German materials in this first volume of the text are organized into twelve lessons or units. Each unit contains a set of basic sentences for memorization. These are in the form of a dialog based on one or sometimes two specific situations in which a person might find himself in Germany. Notes to the basic sentences are provided as necessary to clarify occasional difficulties in vocabulary and idiom and to provide additional background on some cultural features unfamiliar to Americans. Notes on pronunciation are included in each of the first eight units. Phonological features which have been found to be particularly difficult for American students are here presented with explanations and pronunciation practice drills. The notes on grammar in each unit single out those structural features illustrated in the basic sentences which are appropriate for systematic consideration at that stage in the course. Substitution drills provide for the manipulation of forms by substituting specific items in fixed sentence frames. They are intended to build habits of association, so that in a given syntactic environment the appropriate grammatical form automaticallycomes to mind. As the German vocabulary is all familiar, no English equivalents are given in these drills. Variation drills provide for the manipulation of larger syntactic patterns. In each group a model sentence, underscored, serves as a guide. Associated with it are additional sentences incorporating the same syntactic pattern but in which most of the individual word items have been replaced. English equivalents are given to serve as cues for recall of the German variant sentences. Vocabulary drills provide both practice in the use of new vocabulary items and also allow for manipulation of sentence elements whose particular form and arrangement depends upon their association with that vocabulary item. The manipulation of both variation and vocabulary drills depends on the use of English equivalents. Specific translation drills are also provided, however. In most cases they present the material of the basic dialog in the form of a narrative. They thus provide content review of the basic sentences and practice in the transformation from active dialog to descriptive narration. The response drills are question and answer drills on the situations of the basic dialogs. Conversation practice and additional situations in outline bridge the gap to free conversation with small pieces of supplementary dialog for acting out and situations providing for a freer play of the student's imagination.

This is a course in Spoken German, the forms and patterns of the language are intentionally colloquial. The emphasis in instruction is everywhere on speech, and an indispensable component of the learning process is the voice of the instructor on the audio material, whose native language is German. On no account should the student attempt to use these materials without the audio recordings. The method of instruction incorporates guided imitation, repetition, memorization, pattern practice, and conversation.

About the German Language

German is spoken as a first language by approximately 110 million people who live mainly in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. But German is spoken elsewhere - for instance in Luxemburg, Liechtenstein, the South Tyrol region of Italy and in border regions of Belgium. German speaking communities are also found in Eastern Europe, particulary in Romania, in North America, the Pennsylvania Dutch, and in Southern Africa, Namibia.

After English, German is the most widely spoken language within the European Union and is an important language in business and commerce, particulary in Eastern Europe.

It might be a surprise to know that German is, in fact, a close relative of English. English, German and Dutch are all know as West Germanic languages. A primary reason why English and German have grown apart is the Normans, on invading England in 1066, brought with them a large number of non-Germanic words. This caused English to have lots of synonyms, with the more basic word being Germanic.

German pronunciation is relatively straightforward and uncomplicated. Each letter, or combination of letters, is pronounced consistently. German vowels can be long or short. Although short vowels are straightforward, longer vowels can produce problems. Most German consonants are similiar to their English counterparts. One important difference is that b, d and g sound like "p", "t" and "k", respectively at the end of a word or syllable. Nouns in German have three genders: masculine, feminine, and neuter.