Pimsleur Method - Methodology

Methodology

Pimsleur developed his system using four principles he regarded as important to forming memory associations and language recall:

1. Anticipation

   Language courses commonly require a student to repeat after an instructor, which Pimsleur argued was a passive way of learning. Pimsleur developed a "challenge and response" technique, where a student was prompted to translate a phrase into the target language. This technique is intended to be a more active way of learning, requiring the student to think before responding. Pimsleur held that the principle of anticipation reflected real-life conversations in which a speaker must recall a phrase quickly.

2. Graduated-interval recall

   Graduated interval recall is a method of reviewing learned vocabulary at increasingly longer intervals. It is a version of retention through spaced repetition. For example, if a student is introduced to the word deux (French for two), then deux is tested every few seconds, then every few minutes, then every few hours, and then every few days. The goal of this spaced recall is to help the student move vocabulary into long-term memory.

   Pimsleur's 1967 memory schedule was as follows: 5 seconds, 25 seconds, 2 minutes, 10 minutes, 1 hour, 5 hours, 1 day, 5 days, 25 days, 4 months, 2 years.

3. Core vocabulary

   The Pimsleur method focuses on teaching commonly-used words in order to build up a "core vocabulary". Word-frequency text analyses indicate that a relatively small core vocabulary accounts for the majority of words spoken in a particular language. For example, in English, a specific set of 2000 words composes about 80% of the total printed words. Pimsleur courses average 500 words per level (30-lessons). Some languages have up to 4 levels, while some lesser developed languages only have one level.

   The Pimsleur method never teaches grammar explicitly. Instead, it imitates the grammar through common patterns and phrases repeated over and over. Pimsleur claimed this is how native speakers learn grammar as children.

4. Organic learning

   The program is strictly auditory. Pimsleur suggested auditory skill, learned through hearing and speech, is different than reading and writing skill. He referred to his auditory system as "organic learning," which entails studying grammar, vocabulary, and pronunciation simultaneously. Pimsleur asserted that learning by listening also enjoins the proper accent.