Colloquial Cambodian: The Complete Course for Beginners (Colloquial Series (Book Only)) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Are you looking to buy Colloquial Cambodian: The Complete Course for Beginners (Colloquial Series (Book Only))? Here is the right place to find the great deals. we can offer discounts of up to 90% on Colloquial Cambodian: The Complete Course for Beginners (Colloquial Series (Book Only)). Check out the link below:

>> Click Here to See Compare Prices and Get the Best Offers

Colloquial Cambodian: The Complete Course for Beginners (Colloquial Series (Book Only)) ReviewThis is a good starting point for someone who doesn't know any Cambodian. It is certainly the most affordable course and the easiest to obtain. From the very first lesson, you get real sentences with real content instead of just formulas- Hello, Good morning, how are you?- which is where so many language courses start. So from the opening bell you can get a sense of how the language works and how sentences are put together. The grammatical explanations are good, although some of them could be more detailed.
Another feather in the author's cap is that the material on the tapes really does follow the book. The speakers are quite easy to follow and one can get into the flow of the language very quickly. I suppose you could buy the book without the tapes, but would you feel very confident saying a words like "t'ngai" or "g'baal" for instance? In a lot of language courses (including some in the "Colloquial's" series) the material on the tapes does not coordinate well with the printed text. This one does.
The major minus in this book is its system of transcription. Given the choice between trying to represent Cambodian phonemes accurately (especially the vowels) and approximating what is now a very unphonetic system of writing, the author has come up with system that does a poor job of both. I really believe that he should have used Huffman's system which is much more precise in representing phonemes that differ only very slightly to a Westerner's ear. It would certainly help someone who also wants to consult Huffman's text. The author makes no bones about the fact that he wants to wean the learner away from transcription, and he succeeds, but mostly because his system is too inaccurate to be any help. He does introduce the writing system gradually and there are illustrations in the book showing how the letters are handwritten- which is another feature not every language book has when there is a writing system different from our own.
So- I'll give it four stars. I'd give five stars to a future edition if the author found a better solution to his transcription problems.Colloquial Cambodian: The Complete Course for Beginners (Colloquial Series (Book Only)) OverviewColloquial Cambodian is easy to use and a necessary guide that is specially written by experienced teachers for self-study or class use. The course offers you a step-by-step approach to written and spoken Cambodian and no prior knowledge of the language is required.What makes Colloquial Cambodian your best choice in personal language learning?* interactive - lots of dialogues and exercises for regular practice* clear - concise grammar notes* practical - useful vocabulary and pronunciation guide* complete - including answer key and special reference sectionBy the end of this rewarding course you will be able to communicate confidently and effectively in a broad range of situations. Accompanying audio material is available to purchase separately on CD/MP3 format, or comes included in the great value Colloquials Pack.

Want to learn more information about Colloquial Cambodian: The Complete Course for Beginners (Colloquial Series (Book Only))?

>> Click Here to See All Customer Reviews & Ratings Now