4 comments about Bilingual Baby, ITALIAN, Vol 4.

1. We were given this tape as a gift, because my husband wanted our little girl (age 2 1/2) to learn Italian, even though we don't speak it. She loves it! She gets excited when the opening music starts and the kids start popping up, and imitates the words and sentences throughout the tape.(Her current favorite is, "Quanti bambole? Otto bambole!" (how many dolls? 8 dolls!) which I've actually heard her repeating to herself as she plays with her own dolls. I'm amazed, and proud. This is a great video, and I've just ordered French and Japanese from the same series.



2. This is an extremely well-made tape. I am a fan of complete foreign language immersion and was happy that there is no English spoken. Italian words are repeated and introduced progressively to create simple, useful sentences. The background songs & the pictures are lively and hold the children's attention. One caveat would have to do with your own child. I was very surprised that my 2 year old didn't like this birthday present, because they would not say the English words that she knew. After a while, she got very upset and we had to turn it off. I'll give it a rest for now, but I'm sure in time she'll love it as much as her older brother does.



3. The method they use is excellent. My 3 year old repeats the has learned most of the words. My six year old lived in Italy for four years and is bilingual but the tape is a great refresher. We never get thru the whole tape we watch 15 minutes at a time otherwise its overload. I am a native Italian speaker and my only complaint is that the woman does not have a very good accent, how hard could it be to find a native Italian speaker to use for this tape?



4. My 2 year old has watched this video repeatedly and has mastered the pronunciations of basic Italian. Both the narrator's voice and watching the children on the video captured her attention for the entire video as she found herself repeating all the words and phrases.

No comments about Splendors of Baroque: Italian Painting.

5 comments about Lyric Language - Italian/English 1.

1. my babe and i are learning italian just for fun.. and this is a great video and cassette set for kids. the video is sung by kids(who can sing on key). the lyrics are simple, with good music (in sterio), and the words are shown at the bottom of the screen as you watch. each song starts with a tiny bit of family circle animation and realistic sound effects... one begins with a rainstorm. the cassette contains the same soundtrack, fun for in the car or the baby's crayola cassette player. there is a small book to give you the words to sing along. we have tried many tapes and really like this one, and series 2 is good, too. caio!



2. The easiest way to learn is through repetition...the songs are catching, easy to learn and the words are displayed at the bottom of the screen....it feats a trip to the zooo, the beach, supermarket, counting, the alphabet and more. So, this is a well rounded intro to italian for babies, kids and adults. Also, the pronuciation is excellent! You will learn alot of basics!



3. For young children only. The adult learned will not pick up anything useful on this tape. The Standard Deviants Italian is the video of choice for those who wish to learn Italian. It is well organized and contains all the basics for learning the language



4. My children 2, 4, and 6 love to watch the video and listen to the audio tape (that came with it) in the car. They even try to say words along with it. My 6 year old was not interested last year when we got it, but now he is excited to listen to the songs about the zoo, the store, the seasons, and the alphabet.

   It is a nice thing for my children because my in-law speak Italian, but my husband does not speak it to our children. So this is a good way to expose them to the language more often and in a fun musical way.




5. As an Italian teacher here in New York, I am always looking for ways to integrate music and art for learning the Italian language. This is a great way to teach children Italian. It is interactive, realistic, and very well done!
   The cover may be deceiving; it is not a cartoon. This is a great video, showing children and adults in situations set to songs. Each song is sung in both english and italian, and the repetition truly works! The songs are catchy and fun.
   This video is best suited for young children learning Italian. High Schoolers and adults will find it too childish.

5 comments about The Standard Deviants - Italian 2-Pack.

1. This has been one of the most helpful items I've used to learn a language. I recommend it to anyone wanting to learn Italian. These videos are modern and up-to-date. They're fun, and definitely not boring. I love the role playing that they do because it helps everything sink in and stay in your memory. What else can I say, but bravissimo!!



2. While watching the first DVD in this set (Italian Basics), I have discovered several inconsistencies (and I haven't even finished it yet). I was hoping to learn Italian in an entertaining way, and to learn to speak it like a native (with correct pronunciation and emphasis). They got it half right. The DVD effectively uses visuals, repetition, and dialogue to make learning some basic Italian easy and memorable. But in the first three lessons I have already found a multitude of words or letters that were pronounced in at least two different ways each, which is sloppy, to say the least. The problem for a new student is knowing which is the CORRECT pronunciation (and, YES, there IS a correct pronunciation). I will have to rely on OTHER sources to teach me which is the correct pronunciation. I wonder how much else they got wrong? Ultimately, there are some valuable tidbits of information on this DVD, but don't expect to sound like anything but an American speaking Italian.



3. These DVDs were great for learning some basics of Italian. The format that might be considered a bit campy makes these programs fun to watch. The combination of audio, reading, and visuals (cartoons, skits, dialogs, etc) cater to almost anyone's learning style, especially those who get bored trying to learn a language out of a book. This combination really helped me remember a lot of little things that came in handy during my trip to Italy. These programs are (as advertised) for beginners and if you've already got the basics, this may not be the product for you. Nonetheless, this was a great starting point, with a fun approach to learning. Ciao!



4. like one of the reviewers said, the instruction of pronunciation is wrong, especially with single vs double consonants. The instances that comes to my mind are r/rr and z/zz. With the r/rr, they pronounce "caro" and "carro" the same way, with the trilled sound. In reality "carro" has the trill whereas "caro" does not. The "r" in "caro" is pronounced more like the "dd" in the English word "ladder".
   
   The other single/double consonants also taught incorrectly are "z/zz". A single "z" in Italian has a "d" sound in front of it, like in "ad zone". The "zz" is taught to sound the same as the single "z" when in reality it has a "ts" sounds like in "hits" or "ritz".
   
   Even though I'm from an Italian-American family, I know minimal Italian but enough to know how letters are pronounced. Personally, I wouldn't waste my money with this DVD.



5. you remember the contents of the video which is the most important part

1 comments about Lyric Language Italian Double-play Series 2.

1. Ok, If your buying the first series, just pick this one up also! These are OUTSTANDING! The second will teach alot also, and is just as much catchy as the first. We (my two yr old and I) just love these, she alittle bit more than myself, shes wanted to watch it at least twice a day since we got it! ;o)

No comments about Standard Deviants: Italian- Nouns, Verbs and Adjectives.

No comments about Standard Deviants: Italian Basics.

1 comments about Lyric Language Italian Series 2.

1. Ok, If your buying the first series, just pick this one up also! These are OUTSTANDING! The second will teach alot also, and is just as much catchy as the first. We (my two yr old and I) just love these, she alittle bit more than myself, shes wanted to watch it at least twice a day since we got it! ;o)

5 comments about Lyric Language Italian.

1. my babe and i are learning italian just for fun.. and this is a great video and cassette set for kids. the video is sung by kids(who can sing on key). the lyrics are simple, with good music (in sterio), and the words are shown at the bottom of the screen as you watch. each song starts with a tiny bit of family circle animation and realistic sound effects... one begins with a rainstorm. the cassette contains the same soundtrack, fun for in the car or the baby's crayola cassette player. there is a small book to give you the words to sing along. we have tried many tapes and really like this one, and series 2 is good, too. caio!



2. The easiest way to learn is through repetition...the songs are catching, easy to learn and the words are displayed at the bottom of the screen....it feats a trip to the zooo, the beach, supermarket, counting, the alphabet and more. So, this is a well rounded intro to italian for babies, kids and adults. Also, the pronuciation is excellent! You will learn alot of basics!



3. For young children only. The adult learned will not pick up anything useful on this tape. The Standard Deviants Italian is the video of choice for those who wish to learn Italian. It is well organized and contains all the basics for learning the language



4. My children 2, 4, and 6 love to watch the video and listen to the audio tape (that came with it) in the car. They even try to say words along with it. My 6 year old was not interested last year when we got it, but now he is excited to listen to the songs about the zoo, the store, the seasons, and the alphabet.

   It is a nice thing for my children because my in-law speak Italian, but my husband does not speak it to our children. So this is a good way to expose them to the language more often and in a fun musical way.




5. As an Italian teacher here in New York, I am always looking for ways to integrate music and art for learning the Italian language. This is a great way to teach children Italian. It is interactive, realistic, and very well done!
   The cover may be deceiving; it is not a cartoon. This is a great video, showing children and adults in situations set to songs. Each song is sung in both english and italian, and the repetition truly works! The songs are catchy and fun.
   This video is best suited for young children learning Italian. High Schoolers and adults will find it too childish.

1 comments about Bilingual Baby, ITALIAN, Vol 4.

1. I bought this for my 3 year old twins, who are learning Italian with me. It is recommended for children ages 1-5. It features real images (not cartoons) and shows three situations while the narrator repeats the word in Italian three times. So an apple may be shown three different times and the narrator will say the word "mela" three times. Images and words will be shown/said to complete a sentence. So they will show a dog and say the word "cane", then show children playing and say the word "giocare" and then show a ball and say the word "palla". Then, they form those words into a sentence, "The dog plays with the ball." all in Italian "Il cane gioca con la palla". When the sentence is said, they quickly flash the sentence in English for the parent, but are careful not to interrupt the flow of the child's concentration by flashing words in English during the individual images. However, they do show the words in Italian as they show the various images.
   
   I was amazed that my children picked up so much so quickly. They speak along with the narrator. I love the idea that we also cut down a step - so that they see the item and hear the word in Italian, without the step of hearing an English translation. It is language immersion at its best!
   
   The only thing I can think of to mention is that the video is 45 minutes long and my girls do get tired of watching after 30 minutes. There is a lot of information to process in a short time. But all in all, I am very pleased with the results we've seen. I'd highly recommend this to use in a collection, along with the "Italian for Children" audio/activity book packet to supplement. It is also available through amazon.
   
   On a side note, I found it very helpful for my own learning purposes and would even recommend it for older children learning to speak the language. It does cover numbers, colors, and basic words. And my twins love to look at the other children, babies, toys, and animals that are shown. There are lovely shots of mothers and fathers with their children and kittens and things that little children and toddlers just love! Very well done and worth the money!
   
   Ciao!