Wow!
It just hit me where the *biggest* need for Esperanto is these days.
Esperanto needs a beginning audio course for learning Esperanto!
MP3s and podcasts for learning during commuting!
I myself wanted an audio course.
Why didn't I see this?
I can think of at least 5 non-Esperantists who've asked me for this in the last 3 months.
Does anyone know if anyone's working on this already?
edit:
Jen Nia Mondo is exactly what I was looking for.
Now the problem is that people who asked me for it want to be able to download it from somewhere, rather than have to buy CDs, wait for them, and then rip to MP3s. I don't know that there's an answer to this problem, though.
2nd edit:
I know about the Esperanto Radio that's available as MP3s over the web. What I was talking about was a course to learn Esperanto as a complete beginner. I didn't know about Jen Nia Mondo
Jen Nia Mondo
Although this is an excellent course (I have 1 and 2) there is a big problem with it: it doesn't have the answers to the translation sections. Unless you have a person who can correct the mistakes that you make, then you could actually get into some bad habits and think that what you have written is E-o when in reality it is far from it! I know that my tutor was always correcting what I thought was a good translation!
Copyright issues
I (and I'm sure many others) would be happy to rip the discs to MP3 files and upload them to a public webserver, but that would presumably violate the copyright held by la Esperantista-Asocio de Britio. So the issue is really whether someone can obtain permission from EAB to do this.
but I bought it...
I had purchased the original cassette course (complete with books and a brief case) back in 1998 from a 'retiring' esperanto book store owner in oak park, Il. One of my tapes had been damaged and since then I've not been able to really use the course.
Perhaps someone would be willing to share with me their cd course, or mp3 made from it, so as to recover what I had lost.
I can prove that I have the original with photos, thus no copyright violation.
EAB has already placed a textbook in the public domain....
I encourage anyone interested in this to contact Mr. Edmunnd GRIMLEY-EVANS, a leader of the EAB, and ask him to get permission. His email is: edmund820 cxe rano.org.
-- Robert L. Read
read &t robertlread point net
Austin, TX, USA
Public domain textbook from EAB
Cool. What's the title of the text? Surely you're not referring to Jen Nia Mondo?
Cox
I think he's talking about this book. It is currently somewhere in the Distributed Proofreading process -- unfortunately beyond the stages where I can contribute to moving it along. I hope it becomes available soon.
Since they hadn't sold this book for years, there wasn't any objection to making it public domain. Jen Nia Mondo, on the other hand, is still in print and they might be more reluctant to let it go.
--
Steven BREWER
Your could take the text of
Your could take the text of a Pimsleur course and translate it to Esperanto and then get good speakers to record it...
"Mi Estas Komencanto" -- a new audio course similar to Pimsleur
lernu! has just made an audio course available, based on one of their written courses, namely Mi Estas Komencanto.
Although the course wasn't actually designed to be an audio course, the first three lessons, at least, are obviously styled after Pimsleur. It has been suggested that the audio version might work better as repetition for those who have already gone through the written version. But it might be of some use even if you haven't.
It covers different material than that of Jen Nia Mondo, so it's probably worth a listen. Check it out:
http://en.lernu.net/kursoj/mek/mp3.php
Amike,
-- Simmon
Pimsleur
I think there just might be some copyright issues to deal with there.
Also, I'm not sure that Pimsleur's method makes sense for Esperanto, because the word repetition may not be quite as necessary.
Plus, Jen Nia Mondo already exists.
podcasts
www.radioarkivo.com is pretty awesome. I have quite a collection of CD's that I've created from downloaded MP3 files. I'm too cheap and old fashioned to get an MP3 player. I listen in my car during my twice-a-day 35 minute commute.
The 3ZZZ casts from Australia have some Jen Nia Mondo lessons, with explanation that is not included on the old cassettes. Maybe they are on the new CD's. I also try to get a smattering of Radio Polland, Radio China, and others to get a variety of accents.
Radio Verda out of Canada is getting pretty popular, and accepts contributions from listeners. Even if you can't send them an MP3, they might read your email on the air.
Podcasts that aren't even real lessons are useful. You can hear how Esperanto is used in various situations and get your ears trained.
There are MP3's available also from lernu.net and, of course, at Don Harlow's site. Read Don's article on sound files.
Amike,
- filipo
Phil DORCAS
- see you in New York.
"too old fashioned to get an MP3 player"
Heh, that made me chuckle... downloading MP3s, burning them onto CDs, and listening with the CD player in your car... Phil, you old-fashioned Luddite! :)
I am using Jen Nia Mondo I now.
There's no reason you couldn't put it on an MP3 if you wanted to.
There are already a few
There are already a few podcasts in Esperanto. My favorite is Radio Verda. You can subscribe to it for free at http://radioverda.com/ or download it from iTunes.
It is not an audio course, but the podcasters, Arono kaj Karlina de Vakuvero, Kanada, are excellent speakers and provide a fun way to be exposed to the language.
a beginner's audio course
I know about Esperanto radio/podcasts. I'm talking about a course for learning Esperanto for a complete beginner. I can think of at least 5 people who have asked me for one in the last 3 months. They would've started learning Esperanto if I'd been able to hand that to them, but they weren't really interested in picking up a book.
maybe Jen Nia Mondo
Both Jen Nia Mondo 1 & 2 are now available on compact disk. I personally have only listened a bit to the second set, but I know a komencanto who presently is using #1 (along with the postal course.) The old tapes had nothing but the E-o dialogues and you learned everything from the booklet. The new CDs are narrated and taught by John Wells. Check it out. I suppose one could convert it to MP3 format if one didn't have a portable CD player.
Karen KLAHR
Jen Nia Mondo
Yes! Yes! That's exactly what I was looking for.
Download "Jen Nia Mondo"
Download "Jen Nia Mondo" books only. No audio.
86 MB
http://rapidshare.com/files/14960254/Esperanto.Kurso.Jen.Nia.Mondo.1.2.rar.html
Mirror
http://www.filefactory.com/file/8c36b9/
Does anyone have audio? I am looking for MP3s.