Yes, it is an easy way, though not magical, as Linguaphone offers "a truly natural way of learning a language, the way you first, as a child, learned your own mother tongue"; i.e., listen, understand and speak. It is unlike the grammar-translation method, which is traditionally followed in most of the schools still now.

Linguaphone is a language teaching system based on the use of audiocassettes in conjunctions with textbooks.

The Linguaphone Institute was founded by Jacques Roston in London in 1924. The first Linguaphone course combined authentic native speech with illustrated texts which also incorporated vocabularies and grammatical notes.

Famous phoneticians and linguists like Paul Passy, Daniel Jones, and Lloyd James praised the Linguaphone Method.

Linguaphone has programmes in 32 different languages and 600 combinations.

The result of the method is astonishing: "Quite soon you can speak fluently, understand others and read and write correctly. In two or three months, you will acquire a sound knowledge of the language, with correct accent and pronunciation".

Academics from top universities, executives from multinational companies and leading statesmen are included in the in the six million people worldwide who have successfully studied languages with Linguaphone Method.

Famous people who made use of the method include Jawaharlal Nehru, who acquired the Linguaphone in the 1940s and Sir Richard Attenborough, who had learned Hindi using the Linguaphone before making the film, 'Gandhi'.

In India, over 6,000 homes, schools, colleges and institutes have already invested in Linguaphone programme.

A study conducted by the Andhra Pradesh government recommended that English pronunciation and communication skills of graduate students should be improved if the state was to emerge as an ITES hub. Better English will increase the employability of the students.

After evaluating over 150 programmes from around the world, the Andhra Pradesh State Council for Higher Education decided to use Linguaphone 21 as part of the course material for a new English proficiency programme launched by it.

Linguaphone 21 is a four-level programme meant for high school and college students and adults. By spending just 30 minutes per day, the user can go from survival skills to fluency and command in 90 days and acquire a vocabulary of 2,500 words.

It is based on the Council of Europe Waystage Syllabus. Any one who successfully completes the programme can expect to score at least 450 on the TOEFL and 500 on the TOEIC tests.

Linguaphone 21 is a state of the art, easy to use and seamlessly integrated programme. It contains eight books, 16 audiocassettes, four correspondence books, a bilingual dictionary and an ownership certificate, all packed in an attractive suitcase.

Lotus Learning Pvt Ltd is marketing Linguaphone in India. It provides training and editorial support also.

(Compiled by Salil Jose)

For details contact:
Mrs Uma Ashok
New no: 233 / Old no: 108-D, Vellala Street,
Kodambakkam,
Chennai - 600024
umaashok@chennaionline.com
subramani@chennaionline.com

Published on 25^th March 2002