3 comments about Beginner's Dari (Persian) (Hippocrene Beginner's).

1. It's great to see a Dari-specific Persian learning guide, but the difference between Dari(Afghanistan) and Farsi(Iran) is largely in the pronunciation and Shaista Wahab's pronunciation guides are strongly American and not English - beware, English learners!
   Having said that, the book is well set-out, with good thematic chapters. Good for an introductory grasp of the basics of modern Dari.



2. Misunderstood "Dari" and bought wrong book. Looking for Dari, ancient language, not the dialect of Afghanistan. The purchase itself was easy and shipped quickly.



3. Nice format, easy to follow and the CD adds the audio component that rounds this book out. Glad I tried it.

5 comments about The Oxford Picture Dictionary: English-Vietnamese Editon.

1. 
   In addition to vocab expansion for the L2 learner in an academic
   setting the beauty of this book is how useful it is in everyday
   situations. The utility of the "Oxford Picture Dictionary" is that
   you can use it on your own. Want to go to a market in a foreign
   country and buy a needle, thread, button, tack, or band saw? You'll
   find it here. It's organized for the vocab to be found quickly.
   Each Page is theme/topic based.
   
   The vocabulary is accurate, high-frequency, and focused. This is
   important especially when dealing with multiple definitions that
   obstruct the usefulness of most other text dictionaries. In addition
   to the targeted high-frequency, the artistry of the pictures is done
   very well. Phrasal verbs and collocations are included when
   necessary, with the target words highlighted. Additional info. is at
   the bottom of each page.
   
   Reading the preface and forward (instruction manual) of this book is
   also very helpful for instructors as well as learners.
   
   It's true this series is beneficial more to English learners if the
   student of this book is going from English to another language and
   cannot read the L2 language alphabet (Mandarin, Japanese, Russian,
   Thai, Korean, etc).
   
   This Oxford Picture Dictionary is great for vocab expansion for lower
   level students learning or acquiring language and/or for those only
   needing it for everyday purposes.



2. This is awesome for those who are rusty in Viet. It is not good for someone who needs to understand grammar, but is excellent for those who need to build vocabulary. I am using it to brush up on my Viet. It looks like this is a series so they should have it in other languages. It is definitely worth the twelve dollars and change. I bought this along with The Rough Guide to Vietnamese Dictionary Phrasebook 3 (Rough Guide Phrasebooks). Get it now!



3. The authors tried hard to present the materials in an easy to understand format. This book is all about Picture-word association for different settings (at the work place, at home,...etc). It is a "must have" for all. You'll enjoy learning new words and use them in converations, intelligently. I suggest also to get the Pocket Vietnamese Dictionary: Vietnamese-English and English-Vietnamese.



4. These books were purchased to be used in a church ESL language center. We have used them before. They are very useful working with ESL students. Not only have we used them with this language, but with other languages, too, according to the students being helped.



5. bought two to avoid shipping. look new and fast shipping. recommend to everyone.

5 comments about Learn Filipino, Book One, with Discs 1 and 2.

1. There is basically no English on the CDs --it's almost exclusively all Tagalag, so there's no way to learn Tagalag from listening to the CDs. I bought this item mostly for the CDs, and I'm very disappointed.



2. When I ordered this, I was super excited to learn Tagalog. But when I got the package I noticed that the Cd's were within the book (paper protected) and the book itself wrapped in ordinary plastic (no box). When I pulled the Cd's out to listen to, both of the Cd's were broken! I was so upset! Plus, I wasn't able to order the Cd's alone without ordering the book again. So now I just have to learn with the book and just hope that I'm saying it right. :( For future reference, whoever sells this book needs to ship the Cd's in a case or something! A paper cover just won't cut it.



3. I bought the book to learn a little Filipino prior to a trip. The CD is good although they don't always give you enough time to respond. It addresses grammar well. So far it seems a little weak in vocabulary I think I will be needing.



4. I have visited the Philippines many times and love it dearly; plan to retire there. Received Learn Filipino book and CDs and, like others, I found the CDs cracked. Received replacement book and good CDs next day (thank you Amazon). This is not Amazon's fault, this is poor packaging by the publisher or distributor.
   I think the book is good but, like others, I am a little disappointed with the CDs. I wish there was much more work on correct pronunciation which is key to communicating effectively. For me, this is the most difficult part of learning Tagalog because the stresses and accents of most of the words are so different from English. Say it wrong and it has a completely different meaning - or none at all. I also think the guitar piece that precedes every single aralin should be limited to once per CD.



5. The book is very good. I am slowly working my way thru it. I also use an excellent dictionary as a supplement to the book. The CD is okay. It is fast, but using it together with the book it is easy to follow along. I am not sure about CD #3 & 4 as they must be downloaded from the web and I've not done that yet. I am a beginner and have tried other books, but this one is clearly the best one. I also use flascards and have a digital voice recorder that I use to help with conversation, words and phrases as well. If you want to understand the language, this workbook is good.

5 comments about Thai for Beginners.

1. This is a good textbook, I guess, if you have an instructor. By yourself even with the companion CD, it will not get far at all. If you want to check my work, buy it.



2. This is a very good Thai language book for beginners and it's very easy to use. It's not a perfect textbook. I have to use other books to teach Thai to my students, but this book is the best I found to start with. I got it in Thailand for 300 baht. The price is very reasonable. There are also many other titles written by the same author that can be used as supplementary learning materials. I especially enjoy her Speak like a Thai series.



3. This is a book for the person who is serious about learning thai and willing to put in the time to do so. This is not a quick phrase-book; it is a systematic way to learn the letters, sounds, and vocabulary. This is a tool that should be used with a spoken audio program (I like rosetta stone myself).
   
   This appears to be the only textbook I have found (and I have searched through many), that actually gives you practice and quizzes for writing and making sure you remember what you've learned.
   
   Consider this a workbook with explanations designed to build vocabulary and help navigate the Thai writing system with the help of a well explained transliteration system.



4. This is a great book for those wanting to learn to speak, read, and write the Thai language. I am Thai myself and never had a constant exposure to the language. This book and CD (sold seperately) helped me a lot to regain my culture. My grandmother is a full blood fluent Thai speaker. Even she though this book was great. The minute she opened it, she had a big grin stuck on her face. She read a few things out of it to me and seemed very satisfied with it. This is a must have to all those wanting to learn the language.



5. 'Thai for Beginners' is probably your best option, if you want to learn Thai and you can't find a class (because, of course, interacting with a native speaker is always the best way to learn a language). The course is seriously flawed, however. The lessons are little more than lists of vocabulary. Though this works all right with an isolating language like Thai, where you don't need to learn inflexions, the all-important example sentences are short and few, and the exercises are worthless: little more than a revision of the word-lists. The one thing I wholeheartedly praise is the book's emphasis on the writing system, which, I admit, is very difficult but is essential for the beginner to master quickly. Many -- I dare say most -- other teach-yourself courses for Thai introduce the writing system far too late or ignore it completely, condemning the learner to tears and frustration.
   
   While 'Thai for Beginners' certainly is not perfect, it will do to tide you over until you can find a live Thai class. Considering how parched for quality the selection of solo-learner Thai language books is, a class is probably your best bet.

5 comments about Kanji Pict-o-Graphix: Over 1,000 Japanese Kanji and Kana Mnemonics (Zzz).

1. I have been using this book for little more than a week now, and I must say, the amount of kanji I now know has significantaly increased from what I already knew.
   
   This book as all the kanji plus more for the beginners, intermediate and experienced Kanji expert, with both easy and more difficult kanji to learn, i will find this book a treat.
   
   easy kanji is a breeze to learn with pictures that directly correspond, and even tell a little story as to the make up and structure of the kanji. Though the more complicated kanji may take a bit of getting used to (sometimes the pictures do grasp at straws a little) It still is a book that every student of Japanese should have.
   
   The pictures contain all the On/Kun readings and seperate particles that make up the kanji itself, so it's easy to break down and then build it up.
   
   ****/*****



2. Like far too many books about Kanji, this one chooses to focus on the "meanings" conveyed by the characters rather than the phonetic and morphological information they supply which is their real function. I will give this an extra star though, because some of the illustrations and mnemonics are clever.
   
   Ivan Rorick



3. Some of the Kanji pictographs I find helpful, but alot of them are very confusing... and just are mishmashed pictures that you have to work really hard to see.
   
   Its a hit and a miss, though, I hear there are much better ways to learn the Kanji. Alot of these pictures just confuse me honestly >.< though, some of them are helpful.



4. This book is really helpful for remembering Kanji, and it's got a section at the beginning for Hiragana and Katakana as well. Its mnemonics are creative, helpful, and an original way that makes 1,985 joyo kanji not seem so bad (though I think that this book doesn't have every single one of them.) I recommend this book to anyone learning Kanji for whatever reason.



5. This is a fun book to flip through, perhaps with younger learners of Japanese, but the visual method espoused by the author becomes somewhat forced and cumbersome for serious adult learners. A more thorough and systematic approach that breaks Kanji down into radicals such as the book by Henshall or Heisig is more useful.
   
   Nathan Dummitt
   author of Chinese Through Tone & Color

5 comments about Kana Pict-o-Graphix: Mnemonics for Japanese Hiragana and Katakana.

1. This is a great educational aid. Be aware that it is pocket size, not a big book like the Kanji one of the same series.



2. I loved this little book. The pictures are very helpful when trying to remember new letters (some are more helpful then others, but in general I loved it).



3. If you plan on continuing Japanese studies then do not buy this book!
   
   Buy Kanji Pict-o-Graphix: Over 1,000 Japanese Kanji and Kana Mnemonics (Zzz). It contains all katakana and hiragana inside plus thousands of Kanji!
   
   And to get free shipping also order Pocket Kenkyusha Japanese Dictionary (the best portable dictionary I've come across).



4. This tiny little book does exactly what it says it does--it teaches you the kana in a matter of minutes/hours. I've tried other mnemonic pictures available on the Internet, but none are better than these. You'll learn the kana quickly and painlessly--I can't recommend this one highly enough!



5. When I saw reviews for this book, I was worried that too many of the reviews sounded canned, but I thought for $6, there wasn't much to lose. After getting the book, I think all the enthusiasm might just be genuine. Please note- this is a *very* little book, as in measuring perhaps 5"x3", and consisting of 73 pages. This is beyond pocket-sized, it's micro. But for what you get, this book (er, "pocket guide" is more appropriate) easily qualifies as one of the best pound-for-pound deals in the industry.
   
   Included are the full katakana and hiragana (absent are the kanji, but the author has a book just for that titled "Kanji Pict-o-Graphix"). The book opens with a short introduction and pronunciation guide to the romanization, and ends with a nice selection of useful topics in concise from, from voiced and unvoiced characters to combined forms and doublers. There are even quick-lookup indexes. There really is enough in here to read and (passably) pronounce these two alphabets. Note that a dictionary of actual meanings is absent, so you'll need to compliment this with other materials if you want to do more than meaninglessly sound out phrases.
   
   The central gimmick of creating mnemonics to help you quickly memorize and retain the kana is absolutely praiseworthy. Each page has one sound / character, in its katakana and hiragana equivalents. You see the actual character, and the author's look-alike picture and sound-alike phrase. You can see this on the cover- the symbol Chi is presented by a figure cheering, and CHEer is your pronunciation clue. Some of the look-alikes are pretty far-fetched, but overall, it works. (Like the phrase for Mo is "Catch MO' fish with two worms", with an appropriate picture- I doubt I'll ever forget that one, which might be a good thing)
   
   If you're looking for a quick and easy way to learn your katakana and hiragana, I've frankly never seen a better pocket guide than this. The best possible reason to get this volume is if you're already in a Japanese course (or have another book on learning the language) and your real trouble is just memorizing these alphabets. Most of the characters will instantly register with you, and retention is excellent. Understand that this book is what it is- a guide to memorizing the kana- and that it is no more and no less. If that's what you need, I highly recommend this product.

5 comments about Thai: Lonely Planet Phrasebook.

1. This is an excellent phrase book, easy to carry, easy to read and broken into easy to find section. Combined with a short language program this book carried me across Thailand comfortably. I mentione the language program because the pronunciation is a bit tricky to break down phonetically, altho Lonely Planet does a great job of it. I have used lonely planet phrase books for all of Asia and Northern Africa, but I must admit I use Rick Steve's phrase books for European travel. Lonely Planet Guide Books are also very good, especially for the bargain traveler.



2. I bought this book before spending 3 weeks in Thailand last year. I only cracked it a couple of times and had difficulty deciphering the phonetics. However, having just completed a Beginning Thai course offered by my county's adult ed department the book makes a lot more sense to me and I find the grammar notes and pronunciation easier to understand. I am headed back to Thailand next week and feel a lot more confident that I will be able to communicate if/when I come across non-English speakers. But for as good as this book is, I agree with the other reviewer that it helps to at least take a basic Thai course or listen to CDs like Pimsleur so you can hear the language. And as others have noted, top marks for including the Thai script along with the English phrases so you can just point if necessary.



3. This is a great little reference book if interested in learning Thai. Using some kind of on line or person audio assistance is necessary since Thai is tonal.



4. I am a huge fan of lonely planet guidebooks however I am not a big fan of phrasebooks in general. I have this phrasebook and can honestly say that i have never used it. The problem with phrasebooks is that no 2 are alike. Different phrasebooks give slightly different pronunciations (and with Thai slightly different tones) but again this all has to do with translation from one language into another which is not the best way to learn a new language( acquisition is proven to be the most effective but takes time!). However with this said, phrasebooks are practical for people who do not have time to study a particular language such as Thai which is very difficult for westerners and lonely planet is just as good as any other phrasebook that I have seen on the market to meet the needs of holiday travelers.



5. I've been to Thailand twice now and am planning to live there for a few years. This book has taught me the basics and beyond. I recommend it because the tone marks and pronunciations are easy to understand and the book teaches you the rules so that you can figure out different variations of a word. There is also an English/Thai, Thai/English dictionary in the back and the book is small enough to fit in your pocket. Thai script plus phonetic thai is included. The only downside I can see is that the words are so tiny that it's sometimes hard to see thai script vowels and tonal marks.

5 comments about Tagalog-English/English-Tagalog Standard Dictionary: Pilipino-Inggles, Inggles-Pilipino Talahuluganang (Hippocrene Standard Dictionaries).

1. I like to carry this dictionary with me while learning and speaking Tagalog. It is comprehensive enough that every word I've searched for has been in it.



2. My fiancee is Filipina and I have been learning Tagalog. She always gets a good laugh whenever I try to formulate a sentence by looking up words (I'll always end up putting something in the wrong order or using some word that isn't exactly appropriate for the context). This dictionary has been very helpful in learning new words. Occasionally, however, there will be a definition that needs a little more than what is given. The best example I can think of is the word "syota". The dictionary defines it as "boyfriend / girlfriend". When I lovingly referred to my fiancee one day as "aking magandang syota" ("my beautiful girlfriend"), she asked me what I meant by the word "syota". When I explained, she told me that "syota" is a colloquial term that derives from the word for "short" and typically means a short-term boyfriend / girlfriend.
   
   Overall, this is a very good dictionary with a lot of great information. It won't teach you everything, but you will typically learn the most of a language by practice and studying. This is a very handy reference supplement.



3. For someone learning Tagalog this is a pretty comprehensive dictionary. It's easy to use and not too bulky. I highly recommend this dictionary.



4. pros:books size, pretty much every word you can think of is in this book
   
   cons:does not have commonly used phrases(what is your name?,how old are you?,etc.),not for people that don't know any tagalog and are using this to learn.



5. This book is excellent. I use it all the time together with flashcards, voice recordings, on-line lessons, and classroom assignments. The first 30 pages is good for grammar and the back of the book, (appendix) has a lot of very useful information.
   I have tried a few other dictionaries, but this one clearly stands ahead of them.

5 comments about Thai-English English-Thai Dictionary for Non-Thai Speakers, Revised Edition (Dictionary) (Dictionary).

1. Just big enough to to fit in your back pocket, but thick so it feels like you have a lift. What can I say? It's a dictionary.



2. The book seems to cover most of the words I might need. The problem that I am having is the transliteration font is too small and light.



3. Hands down the best dictionary there is. The reasons are 1- it uses Benjawan's transliteration system, which is the best there is. If you are using other things by her (Thai for Beginners, Speak Like a Thai, Practical Thai Conversation etc. or Thai for Lovers (not by Benjawan)) it will be intuitive to use. 2- The dictionary is broken into English-Thai, then a whole equal (almost) section on PHONETIC English into Thai and then written Thai, into English. Having that phonetic section is incredibly useful, especially before you know how to ask how something is spelled in Thai. My dictionary (as well as many other people's that I have seen in their hands) is beat up!... because you -really- use this little sucker. The only down side is that I wish there was a larger version with more words and with the classifier words associated with each noun within the text of the dictionary. Having said that, I have personally by -no- means "outgrown" this dynamic resource. So, I think it is just fine as is, for its intended purpose. Plus, it is small enough to put in a cargo pocket. Even the electronic dictionaries can not rival its usefulness for 10 fold the cost!
   
   There are a lot of other helpful things in the dictionary as well, including a list of those "measure words" or "classifiers" which are critical to proper speaking and there is an explanation of the written components of Thai that is very succinct and well done.
   
   Until Benjawan comes out with something bigger and better, this is -the- best dictionary on the market. When I go out into the streets of Thailand, with complete confidence to face any situation, I leave my electronic dictionary and my phrase books at the hotel and the only thing I carry is -this- book..... and a few Baht ;-)



4. I was a volunteer teacher in a very remote part of Thailand in a school where I was the only Westener. English was barely spoken by just a few people. The dictionary was a life-saver. I just wished it had been more complete. But it is a compromise: nobody wants to carry a ten pounds book around. The dictionary is a "three-parter": English-Thai, Thai-English and phonetics Thai-English. Being able to find the meaning of words just by the way they sound is terrific. I also recommend Pimsleur Thai, even if you go to a non-BKK speaking part of Thailand (which is most of the country ;-)).



5. I bought this dictionary a couple of years ago.
   
   I believe it is genereally good (as most of Benjawan's books), especially for the beginner, although it lacks some important words here and there.
   
   Unfortunately the book cover fell off (poor glue maybe?) the first time I opened the dictionary, which was a bit annoiying.
   
   It would be cool with a more thorough all in one thai-english and english thai dictionary for the more serious/advanced learner. The phonetic part may be left out for my sake.

3 comments about Hindi: A Complete Course for Beginners (Book & 6 Audio CDs).

1. I just love this method soo much!
   I had previously bought the Teach Yourself one, but after 6 months I finally got this one. And it's so much better!
   the CDs (6 of them!)
   are awesome, and the lessons are extremely clear and accurate. You can really feel your progresses throughout the different steps, with exercices and reviews.
   The Cultural notes also are a very good point, and a huge advantage compared to other teach yourself stuff. It helps you keep your feets on the ground!
   
   I definitely highly recommend it!



2. Hindi: A Complete Course for Beginners (Book & 6 Audio CDs)Excellent material that is easy to follow.



3. I must say this book really covers all the Hindi basics and more and it's a must for beginners, probably easier to start with for them. I am advanced in Hindi and used it for the audio and revising some grammar. I must say I even discovered a few things I didn't know. The only thing may be that the conversations are a little boring and not very brilliant, but you don't expect to be entertained, right?