Spoken primarily in Central and South America and in Spain --- and by a sizeable and fast-growing population of speakers in the U.S. --- Spanish is the first language of more than 350 million people, more than any other language except Mandarin Chinese. It’s the official language of twenty-one countries and is one of the six official languages of the United Nations. Furthermore, Spanish is a common second language --- the most studied after English, and the third most commonly used on the Internet after English and Mandarin.
The difference between Castilian Spanish as spoken in Spain and Spanish as spoken in the Americas (now called Latin American Spanish) is due to the diminishing contact between Spain and the Americas over the centuries and to the influence of local languages in the Americas. These two main variants of Spanish are mutually intelligible; the difference between them is comparable to that between British English and American English.
Latin American Spanish
Pimsleur's "Spanish" courses use an educated Latin American Spanish, with speakers from Colombia and Argentina in levels I, II, and III, and additionally from Mexico in levels Plus and IV. The Colombian accent is considered the most neutral Latin American Spanish accent. The scenes are situated in Mexico. The vocabulary has been selected to be understood across all Latin American countries.
Castilian Spanish
In the United States, the term “Castilian” or “Castilian Spanish” usually refers to the dialect that is the official language of Spain, where it’s used in television and radio broadcasts. It is understood throughout the country, although there are marked regional differences. Pimsleur’s “Castilian Spanish” teaches the official dialect as spoken by the majority of Spanish-speakers in Spain.
Pimsleur Spanish - Learn on the Go! Having a busy life shouldn't keep you from learning Spanish. The Pimsleur Spanish course is an all audio course which means you can learn anywhere. No books to hassle with, just pure audio learning. Learn Spanish while you're driving, exercising, cleaning, etc. The ease with which you'll learn Spanish is amazing. After just the first lesson, you'll be on your way to communicating. The Pimsleur Method will teach you to speak the most amount of Spanish in the least amount of time. Dr. Pimsleur's unique approach will make you wonder why you didn't start sooner. Perfect for your busy lifestyle.
What is the Pimsleur Difference?
The Pimsleur Method provides the most effective language-learning program ever developed. The Pimsleur Method gives you quick command of a new language's structure without tedious drills. Because of this, learning to speak becomes enjoyable and rewarding.
The key reason most people struggle with new languages is that they aren't given proper instruction - only bits and pieces of a language. Other language programs sell only pieces - dictionaries; grammar books and instructions; lists of hundreds or even thousands of words and definitions; audios containing useless drills. They leave it to you to assemble these pieces as you try to speak. Pimsleur enables you to spend your time learning to speak the language rather than just studying its pieces.
When you were learning English, could you speak before you knew how to conjugate verbs? Of course you could. That same learning process is what Pimsleur replicates. Pimsleur presents the whole language as one integrated piece so you can succeed.
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