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You might be interested in the Pimsleur language courses. I took a bit of one for Cantonese and found their teaching method to be a lot easier than expected. P

• jfengel 6y ago
  I also recommend Pimsleur. I've used it for several languages. (Admittedly, all had at least some overlap with English; the furthest was Greek. I've always wondered how I'd fare with a completely unfamiliar language.) Pimsleur's method is all about carefully timed reinforcement and repetition. I suspect it's less scientific than it sounds, but it seems to work for me. The focus on speech also seems to help. It gives a kinaesthetic connection to the words that reading doesn't. The words come out by physical reflex. It's even better if you have at least some access to an actual teacher who can help you over speed bumps. I had a hell of a time with the French R, for instance, and in general French is full of hard-to-distinguish sounds. And it's pricey -- but I got most of mine from the library for $0.
  • ksaj 6y ago
    I wouldn't say spaced repetition is un-studied, but it did sort of come in and out of vogue since its discovery. Look at the references here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spaced_repetition#References https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spaced_repetition#References One of the studies even differentiates between long- and short- term retention, as impacted by the timing of the repetitions. Pimsleur, possibly coincidentally, follows the method they describe as more appropriate for long-term retention.