Product Summery
INTRODUCTION
Who is this course intended for?
This is a complete course for students who already have basic German and who want to improve their skills of communication as well as to increase their knowledge of the language. For people who have completed a course such as Teach Yourself German or another beginner's course in German, Teach Yourself Further German offers ample opportunity to build on what they have learnt. Although the course has been designed specifically for studying alone the material and exercises also lend themselves to classroom use. Students taking evening classes in German, studying for GCSE or GCE Advanced Level, and other examinations where the emphasis is on acquiring communicative skills, will find plenty of material in this book to help them achieve their objectives. There is also considerable help with grammar points.
How to use this course
Each unit of the book is divided clearly into different sections. Here are some suggestions as to how to deal with each section:
Redewendungen Phrases
This section brings together examples of the language functions out- lined in Lernziele. Some of the examples you will have encountered in the recordings; some will be new to you. Alternative forms are given to cover various degrees of formality. For more sophisticated interactions, it is important to have, at your disposal, the precise turn of phrase that suits your purpose at that given moment. Concentrated study on this section will assist you in achieving this level of command.
Included in this section there is often a list of vocabulary (Vokabeln) linked to the topic of the Lektion. Needless to say, it is important to take every opportunity to extend your vocabulary. You ought by the end of the course to have an active German vocabulary of about 5,000 words. You should also be able to recognise or work out the meaning of many more words. Use odd moments in the day, for instance when you are waiting for a bus, to learn and test yourself on vocabulary. Remember to learn the gender and plural of nouns and the principal parts of strong and irregular verbs.
Grammatische Hinweise Grammar points
Fundamental grammar points, many of which you may well have encountered at an earlier stage of learning, are revised and expanded upon. A certain amount of advanced grammar is also included. For more detailed accounts of specific grammar points, you are recom- mended to turn to a reference grammar book. Here are a few that you could use:
M. Durrell (1991) Hammer's German Grammar and Usage Edward Arnold
M. Durrell (1992) Using German- A guide to contemporary usage Cambridge University Press
N. Paxton (1986) Teach Yourself German Grammar
Hodder & Stoughton
G. Drosdowski (ed)(1984) DUDEN 4: Die Grammatik Bibliographisches Institut
The audio cassettes
The audio cassettes are an important part of the course, since they provide you with the opportunity to listen to German spoken by a variety of native speakers and to continue your work on German beyond the book. You can play the cassettes while you are doing other tasks which do not demand anything of you intellectually, such as when you are travelling to work, doing the ironing, cleaning the car and so on. Use every opportunity to listen and achieve greater exposure to spoken German.
Beyond the course materials
The German media
Radio and television are an important source of native-speaker German. You should find, as you progress with this course, that you can begin to tackle broadcasts aimed at a German-speaking audience. Try recording short programmes from the radio or tele- vision to start with and keep re-winding and playing back the record- ing so that you gradually build up your comprehension skills. If you live in the UK or Eire you will have no problem in receiving German television stations via a satellite dish. Many radio stations are also available via satellite. On ordinary radio, the BBC World Service frequently transmits in German on 648 kHz medium wave and Deutsche Welle can be found on 6075 kHz short wave. Many German-speaking stations can be picked up on medium wave after dark.
German newspapers and magazines are often available in UK super- markets and newsagents. You will need to be patient and persistent in order to decipher the formal, complex German used in the quality press (publications such as die Zeit, der Spiegel, Focus, Süddeutsche Zeitung), but there is no doubt that you will significantly improve your command of German by regularly tackling articles of this kind. Popular illustrated magazines (such as Stern and Bunte) can also be useful sources of reading material.