General Linguaphone Discussion

[n_j_f]

I'm also slowly building up my collection of Linguaphone books. The physical size is the easiest way to tell the generations apart if you can compare them side by side, as the 1st Generation is usually an Octavo (8vo) volume whereas 2nd Generation size is usually Quarto sized.
If only about to tell from an image of the front cover, I found the best way to differentiate between the 1st and 2nd/3rd Generation is that if it comes with a dust-jacket — for example, the white sheet with a small flag, or the larger white sheet with a full-length photo of a landmark, etc. — it is invariably 2nd/3rd Generation.

If it is paperback and the cover is a solid block of colour, it is more than likely 1st Generation, although this generation was usually hardback.

A hardback without a dust-jacket is usually 2nd/3rd Generation if it all grey with silver lettering or — my personal favourite — the russet cloth binding with gold lettering. Not sure if the russet cloth binding came before or after the grey.

However, the odd one out seems to be the Portuguese edition of the russet with gold lettering which came out after the 2nd Generation but was a reprint of the 1st Generation. Has this happened to any of the other languages?

[Elexi]

Can we distinguish the various generations of Linguaphone courses:

Here is how I understand them:
1st generation - 1920s/1930s - comes with 78s - based on a picture of a domestic, etc scene and then a conversation on that scene.
2nd generation 1950s/1960s - comes with 45s - Follows first generation in teaching style (50 lessons)
3rd generation - 1970s- initially in dust jacket covered red books, then silver-grey hard back books, now paper back (30 lessons + a few variants for courses like Dutch, Danish or Afrikaans)
4th generation - 2000s - Only for French and Spanish - paper back books - 3 levels similar to Berlitz language school books (not the book shop versions).

[jeff_lindqvist]

However, the odd one out seems to be the Portuguese edition of the russet with gold lettering which came out after the 2nd Generation but was a reprint of the 1st Generation. Has this happened to any of the other languages?

Is this what you mean? If so, yes - there are more courses with gold lettering.

[n_j_f]

However, the odd one out seems to be the Portuguese edition of the russet with gold lettering which came out after the 2nd Generation but was a reprint of the 1st Generation. Has this happened to any of the other languages?

Is this what you mean? If so, yes - there are more courses with gold lettering.

I'm green with envy that you have the Linguaphone Irish course in the russet-and-gold edition!

Just to clarify my earlier question: I am aware that there are several courses available in the russet cloth edition. I was highlighting that my Portuguese book, despite being printed after the release of the 2nd Generation, is actually a reprint of the 1st Generation. This could be related to the format of the 2nd Generation Portuguese being a little different to most of the 2nd Generation courses — my first impression is that it is more of the typical language textbook style with fewer dialogues and narratives. The question was if anyone was aware of any other course where the 1st Generation was reprinted after the release of the 2nd Generation.

[jeff_lindqvist]

I'm green with envy that you have the Linguaphone Irish course in the russet-and-gold edition!

It's not my course on the photo (I just took me a few seconds to find one on the web), but yes, I'm a proud owner of the course - with tapes.

[Seneca]

However, the odd one out seems to be the Portuguese edition of the russet with gold lettering which came out after the 2nd Generation but was a reprint of the 1st Generation. Has this happened to any of the other languages?

Is this what you mean? If so, yes - there are more courses with gold lettering.

I'm green with envy that you have the Linguaphone Irish course in the russet-and-gold edition!

Just to clarify my earlier question: I am aware that there are several courses available in the russet cloth edition. I was highlighting that my Portuguese book, despite being printed after the release of the 2nd Generation, is actually a reprint of the 1st Generation. This could be related to the format of the 2nd Generation Portuguese being a little different to most of the 2nd Generation courses — my first impression is that it is more of the typical language textbook style with fewer dialogues and narratives. The question was if anyone was aware of any other course where the 1st Generation was reprinted after the release of the 2nd Generation.

I don't see Arabic listed as a language you have interest in, but wanted to flag that a russet-and-gold edition is available now on ebay. Looks like a tape is missing but is otherwise in good shape.

[Seneca]

I have a few questions for those of you with the 30-lesson editions.

1) How do you handle the vocab? Do you review it before beginning a lesson? Or just follow the instructions from the manual and not look at the word lists until step 5 after listening and listening/reading to the text a few times?

2) There does not seem to be any built in review. I have just been working very slowly, but I wonder if it'd be better to pick up the pace a bit more (1/3 lesson per day maybe) and just review more frequently. Any thoughts?

[Elexi]

1) How do you handle the vocab?

I enter the list in the handbook into Quizlet/Memrise and learn the words first - I am normally a couple of lessons forward on Memrise before I start a lesson.

When I study the lesson I add any extra phrases from the lesson/handbook into my Memrise list along with the main grammar points.

2) There does not seem to be any built in review.

I scan the lesson and the handbook together and put them onto my Ipad and read through them from time to time.
I do an Assimil type thing and start a review after lesson 15 (e.g. at lesson 15 I redo lesson 1, lesson 16 I do lesson 2 etc) - I essentially do the less all over again.

If you break the lessons down into their breaks (i.e. the three parts actually seem to break down into about 9 sections) you can do things like Luca Lampariello's double translation exercises quite easily.

But then the Linguaphone courses are pretty exhausting if you follow the instructions...

[Seneca]

1) How do you handle the vocab?

I enter the list in the handbook into Quizlet/Memrise and learn the words first - I am normally a couple of lessons forward on Memrise before I start a lesson.

When I study the lesson I add any extra phrases from the lesson/handbook into my Memrise list along with the main grammar points.

2) There does not seem to be any built in review.

I scan the lesson and the handbook together and put them onto my Ipad and read through them from time to time.
I do an Assimil type thing and start a review after lesson 15 (e.g. at lesson 15 I redo lesson 1, lesson 16 I do lesson 2 etc) - I essentially do the less all over again.

If you break the lessons down into their breaks (i.e. the three parts actually seem to break down into about 9 sections) you can do things like Luca Lampariello's double translation exercises quite easily.

But then the Linguaphone courses are pretty exhausting if you follow the instructions...

The older 50-lesson course had much more demanding instructions. The later 30-lesson ones has fewer steps but adds a couple recall practices. I think I'd have to say the former is more demanding if you stick with it.

[Elexi]

On the issue of instructions - here are the instructions from a later (late 1980s) iteration of the 30 lesson course:

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