Along similar lines, I've found the tape/cd + book courses produced by Barron's
to be very good.  They claim to have been developed for the US foreign service,
and are thus a bit US-centric when they teach pronunciation with reference to US
accents.  But still, I found them far superior to several other self-teaching
aids.  Their didactical method is particularly sound.  They aim to get you
speaking fairly quickly, with a passable accent.  Many other courses put
something called "fun" first - with rigour and usefulness implicitly suppressed
in priority.

Watch out for numerous typos, though.  Barron's has only recently been
transferring their texts from rough typescript to professional printing, and a
great many minor mistakes have crept in.  I did offer them an extensive list of
corrections for their Italian course gratis, but they didn't seem interested.

----------------------------------------------------ô¿ô-
Alistair Kwan                                        -
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--------------------------------------------------------

Alicia Quirk wrote:
>
> You might also try Berlitz Language Schools...I am an ESL teacher there and although the cost can sometimes be prohibitive the value of their total immersion classes are quite good.  The nice thing about Berlitz is that the private lessons will cater to what you want to learn whether it be for a specific business presentation or how to the necessary social interrogatives.  You can also choose an intensive class for two/three/four weeks.
> Many times they also have group classes which are more economical and the class size is generally limited to a small number.
>
> If those options don't work for you...Berlitz has books, tapes, and cd-roms to learn on your own.
>
> You might also try contacting a local university to see if there are any French Majors or Intl students who would be willing to be tutors/conversation partners.
>
> Hope this helps...and no I am not getting a commission!
>
> Alicia Quirk

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