Rosetta Stoned

One of the key words I used in my last post was INTERACTIVITY. Reading books endlessly is all good and well but concentration inevitably drops after a while and you stop taking things in properly.

I didn't learn my first language just by reading. I learned it through interactions with my surroundings and the people in it. That's where Rosetta Stone comes in. I first heard of it on a TV advertisement a while back. At the time I wasn't bothered at all about learning a new language but the advert did stick in my mind..

Unlike other similar TV ads (how much more crap can JML produce?!), this one actually did a god job of showcasing the product and it genuinely looked impressive.

Rosetta Stone is fairly well-known and although it is not cheap, I was so determined to succeeed at this that I bought it anyway (cheque in the post please, Rosetta Stone people). Although my purchase was based mainly on that ad and internet reviews, I didn't really know how good it would be until it arrived but I'm pleased to say it's worth EVERY penny!

Although they cover loads of different languages, I only looked at the Dutch package. It's split into three different levels. The first covers the most basic parts of Dutch and aims to build up a decent vocabulary. Levels two and three (when I get around to them) will expand on that and cover more complex phrases and sentences.

Each level is split into four units and each unit has four lessons to go though plus an end of unit test. Each lesson is a maximum of 30 minutes so it easily fits in with the most busy lifestyles. This video I found on Youtube sums up how it works pretty well:

The thing I love most about this is that right from lesson one, everything is in Dutch. There is no English text or audio at all. It makes you learn what each word and phrase means by getting you to associate them with pictures, just like we all do when we learn our first language as a baby.

Each lesson has sections on grammar and vocabulary and there are reading, writing, listening and speaking tasks to complete. I wasn't lying when I said it wasn't cheap (level one cost me £149, which is around 180 Euros) but it really does beat other products on the market.

At the minute, I'm on the final unit of level one so level two will be on my shopping list very soon. Even though I'll spend nearly £500 on all three, I still think it's worth it. The look of shock on my mother's face when I started talking to her in Dutch for the first time justifies the cost on its own!