Some language CDs employ a speaker with less than perfect
pronunciation. They must do this because the speaker is a
relative, or someone is sleeping with someone. The German
set of "Learn in your car" CDs is a great set, as the woman
speaker has a pleasant voice and good enunciation (at least,
to my novice ear). Can someone comment on the French
set of "Learn in your car" CDs? Comments on other French
language CDs are welcome. I want a set of French CDs for
listening while in the car to improve my vocabulary and
enunciation.

Viktor

We've discussed this before. My 2 cents worth is that you can't really
learn more than a few rote responses to specific situations by audio only.
You need to study a little more in depth to be able to figure out what
somebody says to you if it's not what you expect. And also to make a
conversation. However, for many travellers the 'phrasebook' approach is all
they need.

That said, I haven't used that course, but my STRONG reccomendation is the
French Experience series from the BBC. Level 1 is for beginners and 2 for
intermediates. You can get them online from www.amazon.co.uk (ships to
North America) or direct from the BBC if you live in Europe (they don't ship
outside the EC). This is a course which really teaches you how to get
along, and the audio portion is very good, but not suitable for use alone,
without the book and its excercises.

One word about speakers voices/accents...the BBC tapes have a core of
speakers doing the course, but they also include speakers with accents from
other regions than Paris. So you get some exposure to the way they speak in
Provence, for example. I think this is good, but does make it a bit more
difficult.

"Viktor" wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
    > Some language CDs employ a speaker with less than perfect
    > pronunciation. They must do this because the speaker is a
    > relative, or someone is sleeping with someone. The German
    > set of "Learn in your car" CDs is a great set, as the woman
    > speaker has a pleasant voice and good enunciation (at least,
    > to my novice ear). Can someone comment on the French
    > set of "Learn in your car" CDs? Comments on other French
    > language CDs are welcome. I want a set of French CDs for
    > listening while in the car to improve my vocabulary and
    > enunciation.
    > Viktor

I don't think listening in the car exclusively will ever get you
much in the way of a foreign language. There are two problems
1. learning goes better if you use visual as well as audio
and
2. it's hard to concentrate and do repititions as necessary while
driving.

That is not to say that they are useless. After you know a bit
about the grammar and a bit of vocabulary, in the car tapes are
great for improving your parsing of the language

Be sure you have a bu;mper sticker that warns: Danger! Driver
Conjugating Verbs froglett In article
, Ed Krol
wrote:

    > I don't think listening in the car exclusively will ever get you
    > much in the way of a foreign language. There are two problems
    > 1. learning goes better if you use visual as well as audio
    > and
    > 2. it's hard to concentrate and do repititions as necessary while
    > driving.
    >
    > That is not to say that they are useless. After you know a bit
    > about the grammar and a bit of vocabulary, in the car tapes are
    > great for improving your parsing of the language

    > Be sure you have a bu;mper sticker that warns:
    > Danger! Driver Conjugating Verbs froglett

Sure, right after all of the people using cellphones attach bumper
stickers with "Danger! Driver will make radical lane changes at
very last second because he/she is paying too much attention to
his/her cellphone conversation!" Also, right after the women
putting on serious makeup while driving on the interstate highway
attach bumper stickers with "Danger! Driver is looking at herself
in mirror much more than she is looking at the road!" And, right
after the teenagers and twenty-somethings listening to rap music
so loud that the outside air vibrates attach bumper stickers with
"Danger! Driver cannot hear anything because of din inside cabin!"

Viktor