Was It Something I Said?

Pimsleur offers the best audio program for learning Italian I have found, and I was sorry that it stopped at Level 3. Now, there is Italian Plus,which goes to the next level. It contains only 10 lessons, compared to 30 in the other levels, so it’s not quite as expensive. There is also a comprehensive set that contains all four levels, but it’s not currently available on Amazon.

I use my iPod in the car to practice Italian. Currently I am repeating some of the lessons from Pimsleur Italian III. Several of the places I regularly go are almost exactly the right distance to play one lesson.

Diane from my class was very smart to start her book group. They choose a book and then meet from time to time to discuss it. I haven’t attended one of the meetings (the time is never right for me) but sometimes I buy the book to read. If your pronunciation is good (mine usually is), reading aloud is one way to get some practice with speaking (and, if your pronunciation is good, hearing) Italian. In any case, Italian literature can teach a lot about sentence construction and essential vocabulary. It’s best to find books that have the English translation on the facing page, making it easier to understand the difference between how it’s said in Italian and how it’s said in English (assuming it’s a good translation). It’s also good be able to look at the English version for some quick help, rather than having to look up words in the dictionary.

Watching Italian movies seems like a good idea, but is probably not a highly effective way to learn Italian. There are just too many issues. But it can be an interesting comprehension test.

I received an iPod for Christmas and have put several Italian lessons on it from my CDs. This will make it easier for me to take my studies with me wherever I go. Browsing the iTunes store, I found free podcasts of Italian lessons. It is very elementary stuff, but might be good for review.

In the meantime, it was a relief to see that I got an A for the semester. Although I had done well throughout the class, my performance on the final seemed weak. But all’s well that ends well. Now I just need to figure out exactly what I am going to do in the spring. I have already signed up for a Geology class, to fulfill my science requirement. The next Italian class in sequence is not being offered at my school, and the equivalent class at the university was canceled for the spring semester, apparently because not enough people had enrolled. In the new year I will explore private language schools.

We are getting more – and more difficult – homework. Last night il Professore said he will give us a “break” from grammar and concentrate on building more vocabulary. Aiee! I am not confident – not close to being confident – in the grammar. If I had a strong command of the grammar I could easily plug more vocabulary into it. But just learning more vocabulary seems pointless when I don’t know how to use it correctly.

Some of the failing or near-failing students seem to have made the decision to try harder. I could hear one small group discussing the class exercises we were doing, and they seemed to be doing quite well at the translation. Yet in class performance many are still very weak. Monty continues to be reprimanded for constantly “forgetting” his book. Obviously, he has never actually bothered to acquire a book.

My biggest weakness is understanding spoken Italian. Clearly, this is an important skill, probably the most important skill to have (unless I just want to sit at home and read Italian literature). While I am straining to decipher what il Professore says, others respond with apparently easy comprehension. I bought the CD set that goes with the book, even though it is not required. I plan to go back through the workbook and do the exercises that require listening. It is my hope this will help strengthen my comprehension skills.

Since starting the Italian class, I haven’t listened to any of my tapes or CDs. I really could use more practice with pronunciation. So today I have started reviewing part 1 of the Pimsleur course I went through last fall. This is (now) elementary stuff, but their approach is different and encourages thinking rather than just parroting, so it is good practice.