Answers
Sep 19, 2014 - 12:58 PM
I've always found it useful to hear different accents, since that's what you're likely to encounter when you travel to another country.
Sep 19, 2014 - 02:02 PM
Dennis, this is why I thought Fluenz might have done this on purpose. However, I am unsure how I feel about it. As someone who is new to German and is trying to practice pronunciation - I would like consistency!
Sep 19, 2014 - 07:06 PM
I can understand your desire for consistency. My take on it is that Fluenz's modus operandi is to teach the language as it will be used in real life, and in real life there are many "right" ways to pronounce a specific word or phrase. While it may be a little confusing in the beginning, when you step off the plane in Bavaria, then take a train to Berlin, you'll be glad you were exposed to more than one accent. Still, I feel your pain.
Oct 21, 2014 - 05:06 AM
Hallo Jig
First of all, we are glad to hear that you notice your own progress. You will be amazed how much you will be able to say and understand by the end of the program.
As for your concerns about pronunciation, at Fluenz we try to prepare you as much as possible for real life. And, unfortunately, in real life there isn't really a right or wrong way of pronouncing words. Just look at the variance in the way English is pronounced even within the same country. So what we want to do is to give you a taste of what you might hear out there on the street. This way we hope you'll be able to understand what is being said even if it's not pronounced the way Nora would say it. We would be very bad teachers if we insisted that there was only one way of saying things.
First of all, we are glad to hear that you notice your own progress. You will be amazed how much you will be able to say and understand by the end of the program.
As for your concerns about pronunciation, at Fluenz we try to prepare you as much as possible for real life. And, unfortunately, in real life there isn't really a right or wrong way of pronouncing words. Just look at the variance in the way English is pronounced even within the same country. So what we want to do is to give you a taste of what you might hear out there on the street. This way we hope you'll be able to understand what is being said even if it's not pronounced the way Nora would say it. We would be very bad teachers if we insisted that there was only one way of saying things.