Language instruction podcasts
September 26, 2005 12:14 PM Subscribe
Where can I find some short podcasts that teach languages? I'm particularly interested in Spanish and Arabic. I'm looking for something I can listen to on my PDA when I have 5-15 minutes - I never seem to get a clear half hour.
Really learn Spanish is another. I haven't kept up to date but it seems to offer similar advice as missmerrymack's link.
posted by andendau at 3:11 PM on September 26, 2005
posted by andendau at 3:11 PM on September 26, 2005
Does anyone know of something like this for Japanese?
posted by ArsncHeart at 4:05 PM on September 26, 2005
posted by ArsncHeart at 4:05 PM on September 26, 2005
Or Russian. Russian would be awesome.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 6:09 PM on September 26, 2005
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 6:09 PM on September 26, 2005
Regarding Japanese, there are some excellent threads here in the "All Posts Tagged With 'Japanese'" page. I also got some terrific answers when I asked about nihongo study materials for the iPod.
posted by jeffmshaw at 6:40 PM on September 26, 2005
posted by jeffmshaw at 6:40 PM on September 26, 2005
For Japanese, the nhk website puts up a lesson a week here. At the end of a year, the whole thing repeats. I've succeeded in saving about 80% of them.
posted by greasepig at 9:17 PM on September 26, 2005
posted by greasepig at 9:17 PM on September 26, 2005
Seconding the arabic question. I'd love to learn some of that.
posted by Skyanth at 1:22 AM on September 27, 2005
posted by Skyanth at 1:22 AM on September 27, 2005
While not a podcast, this site has several brief Arabic phrases available in realmedia format. Unfortunately, the audio only contains the Arabic, but you might be able to download the entire page if you're using a PDA.
posted by pmann at 9:33 AM on September 27, 2005
posted by pmann at 9:33 AM on September 27, 2005
Response by poster: As the original poster, I find it interesting that I can't seem to find any language teaching podcasts on the web, nor can the talented folks that frequent this site.
I've sent e-mail messages suggesting developing podcasts to the Islam Presentation Committee in Kuwait (a state-funded non-profit that, amond other things, teaches Arabic), and to the Confucius Institute, an arm of the Chinese government that promotes the Mandarin Chinese language.
If you're interesting and want to help out, an e-mail letter writing campaign shouldn't hurt, I don't think.
(BTW - this is my first posting of a new question on Ask MetaFilter. If I've done anything out of line, please let me know, and I'll likely behave better in the future)
posted by ykjay at 10:20 AM on September 27, 2005
I've sent e-mail messages suggesting developing podcasts to the Islam Presentation Committee in Kuwait (a state-funded non-profit that, amond other things, teaches Arabic), and to the Confucius Institute, an arm of the Chinese government that promotes the Mandarin Chinese language.
If you're interesting and want to help out, an e-mail letter writing campaign shouldn't hurt, I don't think.
(BTW - this is my first posting of a new question on Ask MetaFilter. If I've done anything out of line, please let me know, and I'll likely behave better in the future)
posted by ykjay at 10:20 AM on September 27, 2005
Are you referring to classical Arabic (fus'ha) or one of the many dialects? (Moroccan vs. Egyptian, for example)
posted by Liosliath at 4:46 PM on September 27, 2005
posted by Liosliath at 4:46 PM on September 27, 2005
Response by poster: Liosliath - Kuwait is a Gulf state, bordering Saudi Arabia. The Arabic spoken there is commonly called Gulf Arabic, and is very similar to Saudi Arabian Arabic. My understanding of Arabic suggests that dialects vary widely, and some speakers are unintelligible to other speakers. During prayer and reading holy works, often an anachronistic, formal Arabic is used, but not in conversation.
I do recall reading somewhere that dialects cause problems for intelligence services - the word for 'brother' in one dialect means 'commander' in another. This can lead to misinterpretations, to speak mildly.
posted by ykjay at 7:58 AM on September 28, 2005
I do recall reading somewhere that dialects cause problems for intelligence services - the word for 'brother' in one dialect means 'commander' in another. This can lead to misinterpretations, to speak mildly.
posted by ykjay at 7:58 AM on September 28, 2005
That was rather snarky of you, I certainly know where Kuwait is located. It wasn't referenced in the original question, and I missed the mention of it in your last reply.
The Arabic used in the Quran is closest to fus'ha, or Modern Standard Arabic. I've heard the difference described as "Shakespeare vs. the NYT." All the dialects are variations on fus'ha, and they're normally not used in writing, such as newspapers - MSA is used instead. They also use MSA for speeches, some TV broadcasts, etc...
It depends on what your goal is. MSA is understood across the Arab world, so it's convenient in that sense. If you want to be able to really get to know people, then you'll have to learn colloquial Arabic.
These podcasts sound like a good project - I don't think there's any for darija (Morocco/Algeria/Tunisia) either.
posted by Liosliath at 3:01 PM on September 28, 2005
The Arabic used in the Quran is closest to fus'ha, or Modern Standard Arabic. I've heard the difference described as "Shakespeare vs. the NYT." All the dialects are variations on fus'ha, and they're normally not used in writing, such as newspapers - MSA is used instead. They also use MSA for speeches, some TV broadcasts, etc...
It depends on what your goal is. MSA is understood across the Arab world, so it's convenient in that sense. If you want to be able to really get to know people, then you'll have to learn colloquial Arabic.
These podcasts sound like a good project - I don't think there's any for darija (Morocco/Algeria/Tunisia) either.
posted by Liosliath at 3:01 PM on September 28, 2005
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by mds35 at 12:18 PM on September 26, 2005