Learn Swahili quick! -- from a native speaker
346098
I am East African and grew up speaking Swahili. To fulfill my language requirements in college, I took the last quarter of Swahili and my teacher required us to have this book and audio. It really does teach one easily how to speak Swahili, write, and the proper grammar. Be careful; this will be more for the "Kenyan" Swahili. Other countries that speak the language will understand you but will sound different.
3017347
I chose Fluenz over Rosetta Stone after reading lots of reviews.  I know that my own learning style is one where I need to understand the grammar, why things are the way they are, etc.  It sounds like Rosetta Stone is much more learning by absorbing/rote memorization, whereas Fluenz promised to teach you why X goes before Y, etc.  Overall, Fluenz has delivered on its promises, and I'm very happy with the way I'm learning Italian, and the style of teaching.

In short, Fluenz combines an on-screen teacher, who really humanizes the language and explains things very well, with reading, writing, listening, speaking and various matching games to get you to internalize all those different aspects of the language. It's well thought out and quite logically done.  I would really recommend this to anyone who wants to get to grips with the way a language is put together and to build a solid foundation from which you can really understand Italian.  I'm only half way through but feel really great about what I've learned so far.

My complaints are minor, but I think worth noting:

- Repetitiveness/predictability.  Each individual lesson becomes a little bit repetitive, in the sense that you're saying/typing/listening to the same 10 or 15 sentences over and over again in each lesson.  I see why they're doing this, but the problem is it gets to the point where you know what's coming before it actually comes on screen.  All the sentences appear in the same order in each sentence, so you're not thinking/listening as much as remembering. Part of learning is being given variations you have to figure out for yourselves based on what you already know - this is kinda doing the opposite.

- There's also not that much variation between lessons.  I realize this is hard in a computer format, but some games or some sort of variety would be appreciated.

- Matching pictures with words.  This is really silly sometimes.  They give you one word and four pictures and ask you to match the word to the correct picture.  A good exercise.  But sometimes, the word actually appears in the picture, though.  For example, how about finding a picture of a menu that doesn't contain the word "menu" in it! There are quite a few of these where the thinking is done for you/the answer is given away.

- Sonia's outfit.  She always wears the same thing.  Does she not have a change of clothes!?  :-)

 Except for those very minor complaints, this software is awesome, very well thought out, and very enjoyable to learn Italian from.
353322
If you are interested in learning to speak a language, the Language Hacking books are for you.  Benny has you speaking Italian from the first day you start!  I was surprised at how easy it was to learn.  I have used other methods by myself to learn a new language, studying for two years and still not being able to put sentences together.  I knew lots of words but could not hold a conversation. This method is different from other methods in that you are encouraged to speak, using phrases and sentence that have meaning to you, that you would actually be able to use in common conversation. I had never spoken or even tried to learn Italian before I joined the early testing group.  Within the first week I was able to speak on video for about 30 seconds.  I was very pleased with the progress I made through each unit, speaking more and more.

The books are easy to follow and have many helpful hints about the language as you go.  The illustrations are delightful and really add to the fun of learning.  I think because of the format of this book and the method of teaching language that this book would be very helpful for anyone wanting to learn Italian.  It is very straight forward and teaches useful conversation.  There is an app that helps with pronunciation throughout the book and you can connect with italki to be able to practice with others.  Benny has hit on a superb combination of learning by writing and speaking, and he encourages using resources to add words to what you are learning that are relevant to you.
932442
Great resource!! We used this on two different trips to Ethiopia and we were able to sound the Amharic pronunciations well enough to be understood, although we made quite a few Ethiopians snicker at us butchering their language (with our best attempts! :-p) Would definitely recommend to anyone traveling to Ethiopia. The only negative is it's a little difficult to locate the phrase you're looking for quickly. We just marked the pages we knew we'd be using a lot and that helped some.
1822829
Great starting point!  (Do what you want with the material to make it most accessible to you.)

In here is: Reading material, listening material, and writing/speaking material, if you are a really dedicated student.

One problem I have seen people bring up is that the kanji are difficult to read.
-This presents an opportunity to develop listening comprehension.  In my 301 class we had reading material every week where we had to listen to the audio and write in the furigana, bring it to class, and read through it a paragraph at a time per person .  Reading out loud often has helped me on so many levels as well as listening for the pronunciation of the kanji.

SO: listen to the audio and find the pronunciation, make flash cards/or learning equivalent and gain not only the ability to recognize the kanji you didn't previously know, but learn it and be able to keep reading through the text.

I recently started (again) my goal of 5-10 words a day.  5 at the least and 10 at the most (if I do more than 10, I tend to neglect doing it everyday). Sunday is a review day, which should be no problem if properly learned and reviewed over the week.  30-60 a week and if 10 are done, you can have 3,000 words in around a year.  3,000 words are the basis of any language needed to readily converse (statistically as a general guideline).  Don't forget your grammar and kanji! Lol.  (Check out lang-8.com for awesome peer language correction; I need to start writing on there again, hah.)

 - Every struggle is an opportunity to learn, which is what I learned last semester by a strict Japanese professor, lol.
I've been learning Japanese for quite a few years and every time I get discouraged and feel like quitting, I give myself a break, find a new reason to learn (for me at the moment is: being the person people go to when they can't remember kanji, because I loooove reading and writing kanji) and then start slow.  I have freaked myself out so many times with "I should be so much further along in my studies!" but in the end we can stress ourselves out so much when we could be learning instead.  Good old Gandalf, "all we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us" and I can't tell you how true that is.
-Take a breath, set a goal, and begin.  I've found that working small, everyday, gets results sooo much faster than trying to learn 50-100 words in a day.  It can be done if you do it right, but smaller sets work better for the general learner.

-Language learning is a journey we all struggle through together.
-Keep it up and don't get discouraged!
2412335
If you already had some French previously, and like to brush up on speaking/listening skills, this is an excellent addition.  The program uses snapshots (with common daily vocabulary) of real life interviews with French people to tune up your listening as well as speaking skills.  The lessons starts with going slowly, reading the written text, and ends with the normal speed of French people speaking.  Practice in your car for a couple of weeks, and you'll be amazed how much your pronunciation improves.

The accompany text is just the translation of the interviews.  At this level, you should have a solid background of French vocabulary and grammar, and probably don't need a detail text on the translation, except for looking up a word here and there.  We're really happy that we found this excellent tool.  Have fun!
1372976
This is a wonderful book for learners who are just starting to study Spanish. I wish I knew about this book four years ago when I became interested in learning spanish for the first time. I probably would have become fluent in Spanish by now!
What I enjoy most is the CD-ROM that comes with the book, except that it is a bit fast. It would have been good if the narrators spoke moderately slower than normal spanish conversational speed. It would also have been a good idea to include one dialogue in each chapter, first spoken in normal conversational speed, then repeated more slowly.
I am still enjoying the book!
527654
I'm traveling to Italy soon and want to learn a little of the language before going. I borrowed several language programs from the library, but they are all very involved and more than what I need. I just want to learn some basic words and phrases and how to pronounce them. This course is by far the simplest and quickest. It comes with a workbook to do the written lessons connected with the audio on the CD, which helps reinforce what you're learning. If you're looking to learn some Italian to use as a tourist, this is an excellent and inexpensive program. It's organized into sections geared to the tourist so it's very easy to follow. If you want a quickie course, this is a great one.
4040612
It took me most of my life to become fluent in Spanish, yet I was able to learn Romanian in less than two months. If only I had known about Pimsluer sooner... Seriously if you want to lean any language this is the system to use.  The lessons are easy to follow and practice. It took about two months to get through the courses and repeat some sections.  I just listened in the car when I drove places.  The teachers are easy to follow and the sentences they teach you are easy to pick up. And before I knew it, I had learned about 50 key sentences to get through basic conversations. One thing I have learned in speaking with actual Romanians is that how I speak is formal, compared to how they speak.  But like all language lessons, its better to start formal and then learn slang.
I saw two ladies complain that the lessons seem to be oriented towards men picking up women, I don't think that was entirely accurate after finishing the course, but I do acknowledge that did happen a couple times. But if you are a woman its good to learn to recognize when you are being picked up on to.
And a word to the wise, once you have learned the course... They teach you that the word for "you" is "dumnavastra", which is the formal version, everyone in the country says "tu" (two) like in Spanish for the word you.
After the lessons, I spoke with my friend and she was very impressed by how much of her language I was able to learn in such a short period of time.  This is def the right aid to learn Romanian.
The lessons are given to you by download or on CD's and are very easy to use anywhere. Unlike, Rosetta Stone, which is complex to set up, this is just as easy as throwing in a CD and listening to it.  And they break the lessons up into 30 min sections. So its not overwhelming to learn each day.
Bottom line is, order this program. It really works and is very user friendly.
La Revedere
4067789
Having been raised in Norway, I can say that a non-native speaker or someone without previous exposure to the language will probably have difficulty with pronunciation. The book tries to sound it out for English speakers, but that only serves to make you sound like a foreigner :)  Nonetheless, it's a good, fun way to learn the grammar, vocabulary, and begin to put together some of the sounds. The variety of "games" and exercises help keep your attention while you learn.

A good intermediate step as a refresher, most definitely.
3865628
I finished this book in just three weeks, but I remember every word that was taught in the course. I feel right now that the words I learned will never leave my mind.

Just about three weeks ago, before using this book, I knew nearly no french (just "bonjour", "merci", and "bon voyage"), not did I know how to pronounce the language. After finishing the book however, I could say many basic sentences, more than most of my classmates could after taking 2 years of french.

Here are some good things about the set:

1. There are many drills that help you know the topic very well. They can be boring, but the payoff is great.

2. The speakers talk at normal conversation speed. This prepares you well for situations you might encounter in a french-speaking country. Also, it forces you to throughly know what is being taught since only then can you have enough time to respond to the drills. (Beginners may find it hard to adapt, but they should improve quickly).

I did not like the following:

1. No pronunciation is taught (at least not in my book). They assume you know it already. This was the biggest obstacle when I started. If you are a beginner, buy another elementary course (or get one from your library) or search online for some pronunciation lessons, because they will help you immensely.

2. The speakers can be hard to understand. Combined with talking fast, beginners may be lost. I believe this is a very old recording, and some parts are unclear. Also, to change everything to the new euro currency, some other woman talks quickly to replace these instances. I first thought the tape was screwed up, but then figured out the reason.

3. Very little grammar is taught, and many times, the dialogues add in sentences that would not make much sense without learning the grammar (for example, the past tense appears sometimes, and so does direct/indirect object pronouns that often cause english-speakers huge problems).

Overall, this course is only for really serious students (like mentioned in the book anyway) that really want to be fluent. If you are an absolute beginner, get a little bit of french background (pronunciation, basic phrases perhaps), and the course will be just as effective. Once you get the hang of this course's style, you'll find your french skills flying.
1272068
Have been interested in studying Sawhili for a while.  Bought the Teach Yourself Swahili book with CDs, but never got into it.  Seemed hard to follow to me.  I saw a good review on this book and ordered it.  I'm liking it a lot so far!  Following the text and lessons is a lot easier than in the Teach Yourself Swahili book for me. I read some other posts that people found the Teach Yourself Swahili a little hard to follow/use as well.  A major plus is the audio is available to download free for the different lessons at the link below.  Since I have about an hour commute each way back and forth to work, I have been downloading the lessons into my ipod and listening in the car.  Works great.  I highly recommend this product.

[...]

Also comes with an optional workbook.  I have ordered it, but it hasn't arrived yet.
3757486
Surprisingly this text is still in print, just not through amazon. The Kanien'kaha:ka Onkwawen:na Raotitiohkwa Language and Cultural Center has graciously brought this text back to life (even updating it!). You can obtain it from korkahnawake.org (w/audio!)

Now on to the review. This is a very good textbook for Mohawk. It gives you conversational based lessons, which introduce vocabulary in an interesting way. It does not have vocabulary lists like you find in most other language textbooks. Rather it has sentences which illustrate the new vocabulary from the lessons conversation, and then modifies the vocabulary so you learn even more. I find this is the best way (for me) to learn this language, as Mohawk words are made up of stems modified by suffixes and prefixes. Thus I don't think a 'normal' word list would work well. And the exercises and grammar explanations go well with the lessons. The exercises are also corrected on the audio! Overall a great textbook!
3930644
I love all the vocabulary packed into this little gem! Two suggestions that I know would have helped me a lot.
1. I loved how you had a YouTube link, however, a YouTube link for each chapter with you pronouncing all the vocab from that chapter would have been really helpful. I'm also using Duolingo, which I really love, but the one thing it lacks, that you have, is pronunciation in the native tounge; and correct pronunciation is one thing I'm really struggling with right now. Your phonetic spelling was helpful, but hearing it is much better.
2. Also, I would have liked to be able to download all the vocabulary words, so I can practice them anywhere.

Can't wait to start the second book; after I get better at the 1st, that is!
Bedankt!
4189274
If your intent is to be able to fully understand Japanese with just one resourse, this is not it.  This doesn't even provide enough information or words for a foreigner to survive a couple days in Japan.  However, as listening suppliment, I've found it very useful.  Use a book to learn the  basics of understanding the language.  Then use this to get a feel for what  it's really supposed to sound like.  Like the name, it's fast and easy.  There's no unneccessary fill so it's perfect for just listening, and it's  simple, common words.
635776
I am an American native speaker, was a Spanish major in college, lived in Madrid for about a year and a half and am (well, WAS) fluent in Spanish. I love Italy and have faked my way through Italian trips with my Spanish for years. And then my husband ordered Rosetta Stone. It's wonderful! I'd heard about it for years, but had no idea that this system was so intuitively exciting. It's more fun than playing Freecell, or other addictive games on the computer!

The system (an immersion approach, with picture recognition and hearing native speakers) is so natural, I couldn't believe it. I've done about half the first level and I find myself out on a walk and making up fun-sounding little italian phrases and sentences in my head. The teaching system is logical, gradual, progressive, challenging, exciting, quickly paced, never boring, and plain fun. I love the tapes for the car. My husband and I are both using it and we both love it.

There are several negative reviews for the Rosetta Stone software (here and on the level 1&2 software), none of which I find substantial. The first here complains, in essence, that you can't steal the software and give it away to your friends! That's fine with me. It's licensed for one computer, but you can have lots of users using that one machine. If you're honest and respect intellectual property rights, that won't be an issue for you.

A second negative review asserts that there isn't much material for level one. First, if you want to buy more levels at the same time, you can get levels 2 & 3 for a reduced price. If you're pretty clear that you want to learn Italian, you might want to start with at least 2 levels. (Amazon has the other packaging options, too.) Second, I suppose you could zoom through all the lessons in level 1 in a couple of weeks, but it's possible that the person who went through the lessons very quickly is skimming over all sorts of built in layers. The software adjusts for increased subtlety in pronunciation & layered appropriation of grammatical structure. Review is critical to the learning process - learning language is like learning to play an instrument. The practice layers available on the software are impressive. This software is constructed as if it were written by Bach! There's a LOT here, even if you just buy the first level and not one of the packaged versions.

The final critique is that the set-up is difficult for MAC users. I have a two iMACS (and am a 25 year PC user who just switched, so I'm completely PC oriented) and have just installed it on one of my machines. The installation was easy, flawless and the software works beautifully. The person who complained had a very sophisticated system and had trouble with some of his intricate settings. I am an Apple neophyte and trust me, for those of us with plug-and-play systems, this is a plug-and-play program. MAC users - don't worry!

Final word: Get the software and start having fun. It's truly amazing stuff.
3018980
So glad I chose Oiuno over Rosetta Stone. My son and I are both using this program and it is so easy to use.  I tried Rosetta Stone a few years ago and I don't recommend it for beginners. Oiuno teaches the basics behind the Spanish language and helps you to build from there. It's been a great program so far!