Thanks! It's pretty new, and still in a state of flux since I'm used to doing my html by hand and not messing around with lj format menus;-)
From what I've seen, the Masters series is well worth the money provided you're able to stick with it. (Usual caveats apply: I've only looked at the Korean module and have no idea how representative it is, and I haven't yet encountered any grammar or vocab I'm not already familiar with.)
My guess is that it's *primarily* designed to get people speaking fluently; the text includes Hangeul but doesn't ever teach or explain it and it seems to have been added as an afterthought. I can imagine the Japanese module would be even worse in this regard. But since I already know Hangeul, it's doing exactly what I want, which is mercilessly drilling me on speaking and substituting. Best of all, all the drills--listening, speaking, substitution--are at conversational speed, which means I'm picking up the correct rhythms and intonations, not dumbed-down learner's speak.
So I think it would be precisely what you're after, especially since it challenges you to hear and understand words you may be familiar with in written form but haven't yet heard spoken aloud. In fact, I'm planning on seeing if the library has the Japanese one as well, just so I can keep my speaking up to par and possibly iron out any incorrect constructions that have crept into my speech patterns.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
ninetydegrees
no subject
on 2007-05-06 06:13 pm (UTC)From what I've seen, the Masters series is well worth the money provided you're able to stick with it. (Usual caveats apply: I've only looked at the Korean module and have no idea how representative it is, and I haven't yet encountered any grammar or vocab I'm not already familiar with.)
My guess is that it's *primarily* designed to get people speaking fluently; the text includes Hangeul but doesn't ever teach or explain it and it seems to have been added as an afterthought. I can imagine the Japanese module would be even worse in this regard. But since I already know Hangeul, it's doing exactly what I want, which is mercilessly drilling me on speaking and substituting. Best of all, all the drills--listening, speaking, substitution--are at conversational speed, which means I'm picking up the correct rhythms and intonations, not dumbed-down learner's speak.
So I think it would be precisely what you're after, especially since it challenges you to hear and understand words you may be familiar with in written form but haven't yet heard spoken aloud. In fact, I'm planning on seeing if the library has the Japanese one as well, just so I can keep my speaking up to par and possibly iron out any incorrect constructions that have crept into my speech patterns.