Comments on: Teach Yourself Portuguese Complete Course with Audio CDs, by Manuela Cook http://portuguese-language-learning-reviews.nativlang.com/teach-yourself-portuguese-complete-course-review/ Learn Portuguese! Product reviews, ratings & recommendations. Mon, 02 Aug 2010 16:48:09 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: nativlang http://portuguese-language-learning-reviews.nativlang.com/teach-yourself-portuguese-complete-course-review/comment-page-1/#comment-10232 nativlang Sat, 23 Jan 2010 03:02:20 +0000 http://portuguese-language-learning-reviews.nativlang.com/?p=3#comment-10232 In the lessons and pronunciation guide, the author does a good job of distinguishing the Brazilian and European dialect. Discerning learners can remember one and disregard the other, but it could get overwhelming or confusing. The real problem is in the pronunciation (dialogs that begin chapters and the "prova de compreensão" readings that end them) - the tapes/CDs don't let you know if it's someone from Brazil or Portugal speaking, so you're thrown into a mix of both. I agree that this dialect juggling act poses a potential problem, but I disagree that it <em>has</em> to be a deal-breaker. I still maintain that there's enough here to warrant careful consideration, despite some definite flaws. Thanks for clearly pointing out one of the biggest. In the lessons and pronunciation guide, the author does a good job of distinguishing the Brazilian and European dialect. Discerning learners can remember one and disregard the other, but it could get overwhelming or confusing. The real problem is in the pronunciation (dialogs that begin chapters and the “prova de compreensão” readings that end them) – the tapes/CDs don’t let you know if it’s someone from Brazil or Portugal speaking, so you’re thrown into a mix of both.

I agree that this dialect juggling act poses a potential problem, but I disagree that it has to be a deal-breaker. I still maintain that there’s enough here to warrant careful consideration, despite some definite flaws. Thanks for clearly pointing out one of the biggest.

]]> By: Campbell Millar http://portuguese-language-learning-reviews.nativlang.com/teach-yourself-portuguese-complete-course-review/comment-page-1/#comment-10215 Campbell Millar Wed, 20 Jan 2010 21:57:53 +0000 http://portuguese-language-learning-reviews.nativlang.com/?p=3#comment-10215 I am a big fan of teach yourself language courses and have used the spanish, french, dutch,italian, german and greek ones previously. However I cannot recommend this one on the basis that it tries to cover Brasilian and European Portuguese simulataneously. This is extremely confusing. The learner has to grapple with two very different pronounciations (as different as UK English and American English) and somehow work it out as if he/she didn't have enough to contend with. What were you thinking about Manuela Cook? I have consigned this course to the dustbin and I would recommend you do the same. I am a big fan of teach yourself language courses and have used the spanish, french, dutch,italian, german and greek ones previously. However I cannot recommend this one on the basis that it tries to cover Brasilian and European Portuguese simulataneously. This is extremely confusing. The learner has to grapple with two very different pronounciations (as different as UK English and American English) and somehow work it out as if he/she didn’t have enough to contend with. What were you thinking about Manuela Cook? I have consigned this course to the dustbin and I would recommend you do the same.

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