Software Review:
German Complete Course
Basic-Intermediate - Revised and Updated
German Complete Course
By Walter Kleinmann, Genevieve Martin, Theodor Bertram
Living Language - Random House
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The German Complete Course package includes a 40-lesson coursebook, two 90-minute audio cassettes (or three CDs), and a German-English dictionary. It is intended for "beginners or those who want a thorough review"—goals for which the course is very well suited.
Each of the 40 lessons is printed in the coursebook in German and English. The accompanying tapes or CDs are in German only, a plus for someone who needs to get used to hearing only German. The audio recordings are clear and distinct, featuring both male and female voices (another plus). The 40 lessons are well organized and make a gradual progression from simple to more complex German.
The first several lessons introduce the sounds of words, the alphabet, and the German spelling system. Later lessons are thematic ("Have you two met?" or "Apartment hunting") and the phrases are presented in a group that has a certain logic. Grammar is introduced as needed. There are also short review quizzes that help you check your progress. Although this is a very traditional instructional approach, it is effective. Anyone who thoroughly completes the 40 lessons will have a good foundation in "survival German" and a solid basis for continued learning.
The coursebook also features a well-done German grammar summary, including verb charts, and even a short section on writing letters (or email?). The vocabulary is useful and current - up to a point ("fax" but not "email" or "tippen"). When the course was updated, they missed a few items. Why would anyone need to say "Ein Ferngespräch, bitte." ("May I have long distance, please?) in this age of direct dialing? And does anyone still send telegrams anymore? Despite a few gaps in present-day vocabulary (a bit more about computers would have been nice), the course does introduce the learner to a good basic vocabulary. But the dictionary of about 15,000 words is limited mostly to just the vocabulary used in the course. I would recommend that any serious learner purchase a more complete paperback German-English dictionary with at least 30,000 words or better.
A couple of minor complaints about this particular Living Language German course: (1) A total lack of any Austrian or Swiss German phrases. Not even the Austrian or Bavarian greeting "Gruß Gott!" (rather than the standard "Guten Tag!" is included. Even if a German-learner isn't going to visit Austria or Bavaria, it would be nice, even in a beginning course, to include a few of the more common regional variations that someone in German Europe is likely to encounter. (2) Although the coursebook and the dictionary claim to use the new German spelling, and a summary of the most important new rules is included, words such as "Straße" are spelled "Strasse" with a double s, even though the new German spelling retains the ß in words where it follows a long vowel. In fact, in the style of Swiss German, you won't see an ß in either the dictionary or the coursebook lessons!
The German Complete Course package makes up for any minor failings by offering a very reasonably priced, well-executed, thorough learning program. Whether you will be speaking German "with confidence in just 6 weeks" or not is up to you. But I can recommend this program without hesitation for anyone who wants to get a solid start in German.
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