Summary

Apple recently released a new section of the wildly popular iTunes Store available through their iTunes software. This new section is called iTunes U, and collects podcasts from numerous universities and colleges to make them available for free download to your iPod or other mp3 player, mobile/cell phone, etc.

One of the sub-sections of iTunes U is (note: you need iTunes for this link to work) specifically for languages and language education - yay!

Currently there are 60 podcasts (probably more by the time you read this) available regarding both learning foreign languages as well as general topics regarding language in general. Many of these podcasts are called OpenCourseWare, considered Open Learning materials released in the Public Domain. This means they can be used truly freely by teachers and educators without worries about copyright issues - a big plus! Be sure to look at the license for each podcast to make sure of the licensing.

The podcast-based current courses available through iTunes U are English (Medieval and ESL), French, German, Greek, Japanese, Hebrew (various), Italian (Language and Theater), Romanian, Spanish (various) plus Language Technology and Lectures, Interviews, Clubs, Lectionary at Lunch and Storytelling Colombian Style. There are many more, too.

This is really exciting to see at this professional education level. Of couse, add this to the 982 language podcasts in the "regular" (non-iTunes U) iTunes store and that makes over a whopping 1,000 language-related podcasts for download through iTunes - all free. :)

Watch the iTunes U intro video below to learn more about this new feature:

From iTunes U

iTunes U puts the power of the iTunes Store to work for colleges and universities, so users can easily search, download, and play course content just like they do music, movies, and TV shows.

Always in session.

iTunes U delivers easy, 24/7 access to educational content from hundreds of top colleges, universities, and educationally focused organizations across the country. And it’s accessible to anyone with a Mac or PC.

Learning to go.

Students can sync iTunes U content with any iPod or iPhone, so they can go right on learning while they grab a meal, walk to class, or work out at the gym.

Keeps them motivated.

Engaging students on their home turf, iTunes U offers audio and video that make subjects more vivid than any printed page ever could.

Open-minded.

iTunes U lets schools open all or part of their content to the public, from parents to alumni to anyone with a love of learning.

Find out more about iTunes U.

Summary

It's difficult to "summarize" the booming expansion that has occurred with the Kaufmann crew since "The Linguist" appeared on Free Language over a year ago. That is why Free Language has numerous articles on the various websites and resources available through multilinguist Steve Kaufmann's web entelechy, including the many LinqQ [liŋk] podcasts, the LingQ method, revisiting The Linguist on Language and why not throw in a little thelinguist.com love, too. :)

This particular podcast is JapaneseLingQ, a roughly weekly podcast with mp3 audio content for Japanese language learners. Transcripts of the podcasts are available through LingQ.

From Website

What is JapaneseLingQ?

First of all, the name itself (which is pronounced Japanese Link) needs a little explaining. The first part, “Japanese”, is fairly obvious since we teach Japanese. LingQ is the name of our online learning system which you can find at LingQ.com. At LingQ you’ll study many different languages in a fun, community atmosphere. The “Ling” in LingQ comes from TheLinguist.com the people behind LingQ. Lastly, the “Q” is important because it forms the speech bubble in our logo and throughout our site and because it makes “lingq” sound like “link” (we think!) which is what our system does for you.

At JapaneseLingQ...

. we LingQ you to a world of real Japanese content
. we LingQ you to our revolutionary learning tools
. we LingQ you to a community of fellow Japanese learners

Our podcasts may contain interviews, articles, or audiobook excerpts but are most often just general conversations in Japanese. We will usually talk about topics of general interest. Please do send us feedback and topic requests. We’re always happy to hear from you.

After you listen to the podcast, sign up for a free account at LingQ (l-i-n-g-q.com) and study the full transcript using LingQ's revolutionary learning tools.

At LingQ, you may also want to submit writing for correction or join live 1 on 1 and group discussions with our tutors. Plus you will find thousands more podcasts with transcript. Come and find out what LingQ is all about!

Of course, even if you don’t decide to become a member, you can continue listening to the podcasts as long as you like.

Visit JapaneseLingQ.com

Subscribe

Subscribe to JapaneseLingQ Podcast.
Subscribe to JapaneseLingQ Podcast via iTunes.

LingQ Podcast Network

EnglishLingQ
FrenchLingQ
GermanLingQ
JapaneseLingQ
PortugueseLingQ
RussianLingQ
SpanishLingQ
SwedishLingQ

Summary

This is a cute and funny podcast where a father and son have a dialog in which they translate funny phrases into English and Japanese.

I have added this in the Learn English as well as the Learn Japanese sections since it can be entertaining to students of both languages.

From Website

I’m an American who has been living in Japan since 1990. My other podcast, Herro Flom Japan, is listened to by hundreds of very nice people around the world. I work in Tokyo but live in Koga, Ibaraki Prefecture.

Tony is my 10 year old son. He likes video games, playing with his friends and his little brother Andy, dodge ball, card-based games and saying anything with the word “poop” in it.

Tony and I like to play a game where one of us says something totally insane and ridiculous in our own native language, and the other has to translate it. This is us, having fun with silly phrases. Caution: Podcasts may contain any of the following words in Japanese and/or English: booger, fart, dingleberry, poop, buttface or wee-wee. (Well, probably not wee-wee.)

Visit the Japlish Podcast.

Subscribe

Subscribe to the Japlish Podcast.
Subscribe to the Japlish Podcast via iTunes.

From Website

Want to learn how to use Sura-Sura Kanji Quizzer? It's easy!

Step 1: Select Kanji

Sura-Sura Kanji Quizzer has hundreds of kanji to display, but usually you'll only want to see a few at a time. Use the Select Kanji section to activate the kanji you'd like to quiz from. If you haven't yet created an account and logged in, you will be given an opportunity to do so.

Several different selection methods are available to help you find the ones you want. You can select by chapter, by difficulty, or by active status. (An active kanji is one that the quizzer might display.) Selecting by active status is useful if you want to activate or deactivate all kanji.

Javascript should be enabled on your web browser for the selection page to work properly. The first time you visit the page, it may take awhile to download all the images, but it will be faster on subsequent visits.

Step 2: Use the Quizzer

The Quizzer section displays kanji from your active list in a random order. Only the information you want to see is displayed. You can move your mouse over the hidden information to reveal it.

If you think you've mastered the displayed kanji, click the "Success" button to deactivate it. (You can always reactivate it later.) If you weren't able to easily remember the hidden information, keep the kanji active by clicking the "Keep Trying" button.

Step 3: Repeat!

Once you've deactivated all your active kanji using the quizzer, pat yourself on the back for a job well done. You'll probably want to try again later to make sure that you really know them all.

Comments

An excellent site for all of your online Kanji practicing needs, this resource is clean, well-designed and incredibly useful.

Visit KanjiQuizzer.com

From Website

This site's purpose:

This site was made to help anyone who is studying Japanese, specifically studying for the Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT). if you don't know anything about the test, a good place to start is the Japan foundation of LA (though it is mainly overview and where to apply information). We have more information about the test on this site at about the JLPT.

What this site can do:

The main point of this site is to act as a day-by-day calendar with a new kanji from the level of the test you are studying for. So, registering makes this site much more useful (it is free, painless, and we'll never send it to anyone). When you register the site remembers what level you are studying for, and automatically loads the kanji that will appear on the test you are studying for. Also, any vocab on the vocab list for that level will be displayed below the kanji. If you click on one of the kanji in the vocab list (anywhere on the site) a pop up with the kanji and all of its compounds in the dictionary will appear.

Additionally, you can download the kanji or vocab lists for any level in a html formatted file (you can view them with word or some other word processor program). These will be customizable to the extent of you can choose what you want on your list (ie: kanji, kana, definition or kanji, romaji, part of speech, definition). There is also a Japanese -> English and English->Japanese dictionary and a Kanji dictionary on the right toolbar. Anytime you look up a word or view "Today's Kanji" you can choose to add the vocab/kanji to your personal list. This is usefull when word comes up that you want to remember, you can have quick access to it with your vocab/kanji list.

Comments

An excellent site for learning Japanese kanji, as well as hiragana and katakana.

This is an excellent resource for Japanese learners of all levels.

Visit Kanji-a-Day.com

From the site:

"World Nomads present a series of podcast language guides. They are yours to download for free and contain all the essential phrases to keep you travelling safely.

We hope that in 2007 there'll be time to produce a few more guides, so feel free to leave us a comment or send an email with suggestions for the languages you'd like to learn."

Comments

This podcast, along with other podcasts by World Nomads, has nice entries with world-traveler action and a transcription to boot.

Visit World Nomads Japanese Language Guide for your iPod.

Summary

Rosetta Stone doesn't want you to know this! The best deals on Rosetta Stone software can be found here on eBay.

Rosetta Stone is proprietary language-learning software produced by Rosetta Stone, Ltd. Its title and its logo are an allusion to the Rosetta Stone, an artifact inscribed in multiple languages that helped researchers to decipher Ancient Egyptian by comparing it to the Greek inscription.

The Rosetta Stone software utilizes a combination of images, text, and sound, with difficulty levels increasing as the student progresses, in order to teach various vocabulary terms and grammatical functions intuitively, without drills or translation. Their method is called the Dynamic Immersion method. The goal is to teach languages the way first languages are learned.

Rosetta Stone Packages

Several different packages of lessons are available. The full course in each language is separated into three levels. There is only one level available for Latin. All retail software packages except the homeschool version contain two CDs, one with the application software and another with the instruction. The homeschool version also consists of disks for a server program and a student management program.

Video Intro

Rosetta Stone Deals

Get the best prices here on all Rosetta Stone products!

Available Languages

Arabic (Modern Standard), Chinese (Mandarin), Danish, Dutch, English (American), English (British), French (Parisian), German, Indonesian, Swahili, Tagalog (Filipino), Greek, Hebrew, Hindi, Indonesian, Irish, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Latin, Persian (Farsi), Pashto, Polish, Portuguese (Brazil), Russian, Spanish (Latin America), Spanish (Spain), Swedish, Swahili, Tagalog (Filipino), Thai, Turkish, Vietnamese and Welsh

Rosetta Stone Version 2

All languages except Latin use the same set of words and sentences in the same order, with the same images (some of which are recycled from lesson to lesson). There are three levels of instruction, each sold separately, or they can be purchased bundled for a discount. In version two, most languages were offered with only two levels, though a few were offered in a third:

Level 1 consists of eight units, starting from simple vocabulary such as "boy", "girl", "man", "woman", moving up through numbers, the past and future tenses and concluding with a unit on giving directions. Units 1 through 4 have 10 lessons plus a review lesson, units 5 through 8 have 11 lessons plus a review lesson. 92 total lessons in level 1.

Level 2 offers units 9 through 19; however as a practical matter there are only nine units devoted to instruction since units 18 and 19 are "glossary" units devoted to single words having to do with a particular topic (school, nature, automobiles etc.). Level 2 units consider more advanced grammatical concepts, as well as specific subjects like banking, shopping and travel. These exercises also use short video clips in QuickTime format to illustrate some verbs. Units 16 and 17 consist solely of old Saturday Evening Post cartoons and their captions. 118 total lessons in level 2.

Level 3 is no longer offered on version 2 products, but when it was, it used longer video and writing passages to expand the level of instruction.

Rosetta Stone Version 3

In version 3, all languages have three levels, though what they cover is different; there is more of a focus on conversation and less on complex grammatical topics.

Level 1 consists of four units, each with four thirty-minute lessons and a number of five to fifteen minute activities. The level, which is supposed to "build a foundation of fundamental vocabulary and essential language structure," takes about 24 hours to complete following Rosetta Stone's recommended course. Starting from simple vocabulary such as basic greetings, "boy", "girl", "man", and "woman", moving up through numbers, comparisons, adjectives, nouns, future tense, and telling time. Each unit also contains a ten-minute simulated conversation called a "Milestone."

The four units in Level 1 are: The Basics, Friends and Family, Work and School, and Shopping.

Level 2 offers units 5 through 8, for a total of about twenty-four hours designed to teach you to "navigate your surroundings as you build on the vocabulary and essential language structure in Level 1." More grammar is covered, including past and future tenses, and imperative forms. Topics such as giving directions, writing letters, workplace terms, apologies, discussing emotions, and criticizing art are also covered. As in Level 1, each unit is followed by a ten-minute "Milestone."

The four units in Level 2 are: Travel, Past and Future, Friends and Social Life, and Dining and Vacation.

Level 3 offers the final four units (9 through 12), which are supposed to help "connect with the world around you by building on the language fundamentals and conversational skills you developed in Levels 1 and 2." In addition to expanding upon grammar learned in Levels 1 and 2, Level 3 teaches more in depth vocabulary, including botanical terms, culinary terms, how to express detailed opinions and judgments, and how to discuss politics, religion, and business. As in the first two levels, each unit contains a ten-minute "Milestone" activity in which the user participates in a simulated conversation.

The four units in Level 3 are: Home and Health, Life and World, Places and Events, and Talking About the World.

Other Rosetta Stone Packages

An Explorer package consisting basically of the first three units from Level I was available for a much cheaper price than the full Level I. This product is no longer available from the publisher.

A Traveler version, consisting of several lessons focusing on basic terms as well as vocabulary important for travel, was produced in the late 1990s and is no longer available.

Audio Companion was released on June 9, 2008 and is meant to reinforce what is learned using the computer software. It is portable and is meant to be played on a CD player or MP3 player.

The best deals on Rosetta Stone software can be found here.

From the site:

"Welcome to the Underground Global Japanese Tutorial. Here, you will be able to find numerous ways to learn or continue to study Japanese efficiently. If you are a newcomer to the Japanese language, it may appear difficult on the surface, but you will likely come to see that Japanese is not only not that complicated when broken down, but also that it is a fun language to learn. If you have already begun to learn Japanese, then this site may also come in handy for future reference. Hopefully, this page will be able to aid you in your efforts, regardless to whether you are a beginner, an intermediate speaker, or an advanced speaker. I myself have been a self-taught student of Japanese since 1999; therefore, it is possible that this tutorial may be imperfect. Although I am not an expert on the Japanese language or a native speaker, I do feel that this tutorial will prove very helpful for other learners of Japanese much like me."

Comments

This website has some very helpful basic information about the Japanese language. Of special note are the resources for learning Japanese Kanji, Hiragana and Katakana, as well as information about Japanese verb conjugations and sentence structure (syntax).

Also helpful are the audio samples of a conversation, which allow beginners to get a feeling for what the language sounds like.

Visit Underground Global Japanese Tutorial.

From the site:

"Learn Japanese with our free Japanese lessons in podcast format. We use examples from anime and everyday conversation to teach you Japanese that is useful for everyday life. Hitomi-sensei is from Tokyo and will teach you to speak with the most common Japanese accent. If you are watching an anime now and want to know more about a word or phrase you have heard, post a comment or send us an email."

Comments

Cool site with a good podcast that's been around since 2005 and offers a wide range of podcast topics and learning levels.

Also lots of other good resources on the website, including info about "Weird Japan", JPop, Anime and Japanese study guides and books.

Visit Japancast.net

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