The Remarkable Pimsleur Method

The Pimsleur Method was developed by distinguished scholar and applied linguist, Dr. Paul Pimsleur. He devoted his life to language teaching; his many books and articles have helped revolutionize theories of language learning and teaching.

Holding academic positions as Director of the Language Laboratory at UCLA, Professor of Education and Romance Languages at State University of New York, Albany, and Fulbright Lecturer at the University of Heidelberg, Dr. Pimsleur concerned himself with research on how the elements of a new language can be learned naturally and in a relatively brief period. In this he succeeded admirably and we (those who want to learn a new language) are considerably in his debt.

Utilizing the Pimsleur Method, students are able to understand and speak the essential elements of a new language in a relatively short time. From the first lesson and during each subsequent half-hour lesson, the student converses with two people, using language spoken by native citizens in their everyday business and social life.

In a critical advance to language learning theory, Dr. Pimsleur discovered that learning accelerates when there is an "input/output" system of interaction, in which students receive information and then are asked to retrieve and use it.

After years of experience and research, Dr. Pimsleur developed a new method that stimulates this type of interaction. It is based on two key principles: the Principle of Anticipation and Graduated Interval Recall.

Both principles are incorporated into the Pimsleur language programs to provide the simplest and most effective learning method possible.

The Principle of Anticipation requires you to "anticipate" a correct answer. This means that the memory must retrieve the answer before it is confirmed in the lesson.

The Graduated Interval Recall principle utilizes scientific knowledge of how human memory works. The human mind remembers new information for a certain amount of time and needs to be reminded again at certain intervals to retain the information. This program instills new information at just the right time and at the exact intervals where maximum retention takes place.

In another key element, students utilize the language as soon as possible by focusing on building a core vocabulary of "function" words. Extensive research has shown that only a core vocabulary made up of a limited number of words is needed in order to communicate effectively in any language.

By focusing on function words of this core vocabulary (the words that tend to relate to human activities), language learners are readily able to put new knowledge to use. While focusing on the core language, the Pimsleur method enables the student to learn grammar, vocabulary, and pronunciation all at once in a natural and exciting way.