When people learn a language,it is important to use repetition because this is how everybody learns to speak as a child. we learn by hearing sounds over and over from our
mother. It is also a well known fact that when babies learn to speak they often associate images with words & vise versa (hence the need for flashcards incorporated in language learning softwares/apps). I have used a program that uses all these important tools of language learning software. It uses a new technology called Speech Recognition (which enables you to perfect your pronunciation) as well as the use of flash cards.
I lived in Brazil for a few years so I can certainly say that I see the full process involved, the process of learning through sound, of learning through sight and visualizations, this is all immediately clear to me, and so based on this observation through this experience of being immersed with the language and culture, I can, without a doubt, say that a good program, a good application would have to be Transparent’s “Brazilian Portuguese Byki Deluxe 4″.

How does Transparent teach a language effectively?

Transparent language uses a “Declarative First” approach when it comes to learning the Portuguese
language (or any other language of your choosing). So what is meant by “Declarative First”? … Scientists who research language studies know that there are two factors that contribute to successful language learning and those two factors would be declarative memory and procedural memory. These factors, or systems, allow people to learn, retain, and produce language. Transparent’s main focus is on learning vocabulary as opposed to
learning grammar and sentence structure and to learn a new language this way has been proven more effective than trying to remember all the rules of the language.

I have seen hundreds of websites and software programs out on the net that focus to much on the needless, senseless technicalities of learning a foreign language. That is alright and dandy if you are in school and your curriculum demands the need to learn the “Whole 9 yards” but what if you are planning a trip to Brazil with friends? at some point during the trip you may find yourself alone and in a situation where you may need to communicate with the employee at the store, or the airport, or hotel. While, during my many trips to the country of Brazil, I have lucked out and managed to find an English speaking Brazilian native, there were times when I wished I had a translator with me to save me the embarrassment of the moment if you know what I mean? You don’t have the time to learn all the information that comes from learning a new language although would it be nice if we could?

What does “Real Brazilian Portuguese” teach?

Teaches “Real life Brazilian Portuguese” instead of useless grammar and vocabulary. If your goal is to learn quickly and without the need to learn all the grammar, verbs, punctuation, conjugation, then this program is what you probably will be wanting. If you are like I was during my first time ever to Brazil, then you would have been wishing for a fast fix – an electronic speaking dictionary, or a real translator at your side 24/7. This course teaches you only what you need to know to communicate effectively with Brazilians and then enables you to progress beyond basic chat from there. It teaches you ONLY the common words used in everyday communication … this is how “Real Brazilian Portuguese” is able to teach you the language at a fast pace.
Real Brazilian Portuguese teaches you “mnemonic” where you learn by linking new information to familiar information already stored in the brain for example – the smell of flowers blooming reminds us of spring or a certain word or phrase reminds you of your login password.

What comes with “Real Brazilian Portuguese”?

The program comes with 20 easy to understand lessons which are covered in over 150 pages, it contains all the information you need to know about mnemonics and to use it with the program, it has lots of extra bonus stuff like tricks and tips which are designed to help you along the way learning the language, and it has unlimited Real Brazilian Portuguese email support for life. “Real Brazilian Portuguese” also does come with a 60 day money back guarantee and orders are taken 24/7 365 days per year and the price? well unfortunately nothing really is for “free” but I think for $39.00 dollars you can’t go bad. There are only 133 words (28 power verbs, 48 hot verbs, 57 power vocabulary) that you will need to learn with this program.
visit the vendors website at - www.realbrazilianportuguese.com and see for yourself what the program can do for you or if you feel like you want to give it a try already you can tryout the program now.

English and other non-tonal speakers have difficulties deciphering the pitch system. Studying a tonal language requires much more than simple book learning, vocabulary drilling, or taking class at a growing number of online universities. In many cases, the ear as well as the eye must be carefully trained and this is most easily done through an immersion course.

“The syllable structures of Chinese are not particularly difficult for American learners of Chinese; instead, it is lexical tones that make the mastery of the language a challenging task,” Liang Tao, a Chinese professor at Ohio University, wrote in a research paper presented at the 20th North American Conference on Chinese Linguistics. “I find that students can produce isolated tones correctly. However, they often have problems producing correct tones in connected speech, i.e. they mix up tones at the sentence level.” With different pronunciations come different meanings, which often leads students to speak nothing but nonsense—even when they know the underlying words and correct syntax.

“Pretty much every word must be uttered with a particular tonal contour, and this has to be memorized,” University of California at Los Angeles linguistics professor Hongyin Tao told the New York Times. “To the novice learner, speaking Chinese is akin to singing. Worse yet, tones in isolated words may need to be adjusted when put together in an utterance.”

One of the easiest solutions, Tao said, is to begin language instruction early. The younger children are, the more easily their brains will adapt to processing and recalling tones. “For Chinese language education in the U.S., it is always a good idea to start the learning process as early as possible; and between the spoken and the written language, try to focus on the spoken language first and worry about the written part later,” he said.

All hope is not lost for adult tonal language learners, though. The help of a native speaker is usually essential, as is ample speaking experience during classes. “Allowing instructors to listen to and correct students as they are speaking can be critical to successful learning,” Northwestern University says on the homepage of its multimedia learning center. Students must usually also practice speaking every day.

Daily courses are ideal, but outside of a university setting such a rigorous schedule may not be possible. Technology is often particularly useful in this regard. A host of different language learning technologies can help bring tonal instruction onto the computers and tablets of adult learners in all corners of the world. Northwestern’s Digital Learning Lab, a pilot project of the school’s department of African and Asian languages, is one such program. “DiLL allows real-time high-quality audio communication between students and teachers,” the university says. The program supports chat, video uploads, and recording. It also provides access to catalogues of listening material and practice exercises that emphasize tone.

Learning tonal languages for the first time in adulthood is never easy for people who have never had experience speaking or hearing in pitched patterns. However, with persistence, the right teachers, and smart use of technology, the road can be less impenetrable.

Asking for Directions

Whether you want to know where the nearest bar is, or a nice hotel where you can spend the night, being able to ask for directions is going to be useful. Imagine you’ve arrived in a new town or city, and want to hang out where the locals do, so that you can experience the real Brazilian culture. By being able to ask where a local bar is in Brazilian Portuguese, you are even more likely to be told about somewhere that locals enjoying partying at, rather than a bar that mostly caters for tourists. The same goes for hotels, because you might find yourself staying in an expensive place full of other foreigners. By speaking the language, you could find yourself in a local hotel, paying half the rates, and hanging out with Brazilians. If you really want to see the real Brazil, then you need to find out from them where the best places to go are.

Ordering Food

Brazil has some fantastic cuisine which can be bought for an inexpensive price if you know the right places to go. Unfortunately, the waiter or vendor selling the food may only speak Brazilian Portuguese, so knowing how to order food can be very useful. It will also decrease the risk of you getting overcharged for what you by, because the person selling the food is more likely to believe that you’ve been in the country for some time. Try learning how to ask for things like coxinha, a delicious chicken croquet, and empanada, a tasty pastry snack.

The same goes for drinks, and if there is one word that you need to learn how to pronounce it is ‘caipirinha,’ Brazil’s national drink. If you’re at a party then you can bet that this drink will be being served, and it is often the cheapest, so learning how to say it right will make sure your wallet isn’t empty too soon.

Small Talk

If you find yourself waiting for the bus, sitting alone on the beach, or waiting for a friend in a bar, why not try a little small talk with somebody nearby. Brazilians are very friendly people and much more relaxed than people in some European countries, so there is no excuse not to spark up a little conversation. You may well find that people want to talk to you, so being able to talk back in Brazilian Portuguese will do nothing but impress them, even if you only have a few choice phrases. You never know where the conversation might lead, and you will feel much more comfortable in your surroundings while talking to someone.

Take the Plunge!

You may feel embarrassed trying to talk Brazilian Portuguese, but the locals will only respect you more for it. Just a few words and some handy phrases should set you up, and you’ll have a much better experience in the country with some of the local lingo under your belt. So, before you go try to learn a bit, and see how far it gets you!

I remember my first time learning the Portuguese language. After hearing some pronunciation of the Portuguese language for the first time, I remember thinking to myself “wow! this sounds difficult to me”. I never thought I would be speaking this language to Brazilians for real. The truth about me is, I am not a real noetic person. I don’t immerse myself within intellectual books and magazines, nor did I graduate from a nationally well-known university. In fact, during my younger years, I didn’t even like reading period. I never really understood the significance of a good education. I never thought of reading as an intellectual stimulator. My idea of education did not extend beyond high school. I did not see the need for continued education. My only accomplishment, short of a military career, was the completion of an occupational course in Carpentry and training to be a Truck Driver. My idea of an education was 18 hours hard labor at the XYZ Lumber Mill. I did not have a favorite subject in high school – other than sports.

Anyone can learn a language. It does not have to be thought of as “a choir”. Sure, it may seem just a little daunting at first, but I feel like it opens up a door to the intellectual side of us that we (at least I didn’t think) thought did not exist. I feel like I have a broader sense for contextual meaning – if that makes any sense. The benefits you reap upon learning a foreign language are unimaginable. For starters, you are able to communicate with someone from another country. You must then think to yourself “how many people I know are bi-lingual?, which of my friends speak this language?”. You will be able to find out things through that communication with people from other countries like, how is your country’s economy?, or how many people live in your country?, or even, how are the women – or men – from your country? Think of the opportunities that may arise with the ability to speak another language. Already thought about a job as a bi-linguist? or a freelance translator who remains independent and can travel the world anywhere, anytime setting his own hours. Or how about for extra college credits? At the very least, you will have gained a little extra knowledge upon having learned a new language.

Now, having said all that, you still think language learning is a choir?
Other interesting reads:

1. Transparent Review

2. Real Brazilian Portuguese

3. Language Trainers

Fortunately, today, Portuguese lessons of Brazil can be taken any day of the week including Saturdays and Sundays, at any time of the day, whether it be morning, afternoon or evening. Besides, wherever you live, you can find a native speaking trainer who is perfectly qualified to teach you all the things that are necessary for you to go on a language trip, imaginarily or not.
 

Whether you are traveling to The United Emirates, or perhaps going snorkeling in the Red Sea at Sharm el sheikh in Egypt, thebrazilianlanguage.com has the perfect Arabic language. This is a learning software program for your language learning needs. Interactive Multimedia Arabic lessons Suitable for Beginners and ideal for children.
 
This software comes with sounds, pictures, animations and much more. Should not learning a new language be fun? Fun … this software program is to learn.
Below I will show you a list of quizzes available -

• MY Arabic Spelling -The Spelling Quiz is similar to the one included in ArabicSP v3.0 but is now with 240 words to
  choose from. All words you have already learned in the previous lessons.
• MY Arabic Master – is a new concept we have developed, you make up the words (actual) from a set of Letters.
  There are 32000 words!. All words also exist
  in the Arabic vocabulary list/dictionary.
• MY Arabic Puzzle – is a game you have to arrange all the Arabic Alphabet in the right order, they will also hear the
  sound of the letter while clicking on each letter. It is fun and learning!

If you are ready to try this program you are welcome to download now or if you would like more info about this software you can visit the vendors website.

Pronunciation

As I talked about on thebrazilianlanguage.com on the page – “Pronunciation”, to me, pronunciation is probably the most difficult part, and the most important, in language learning. Because we need to be understood when we are communicating. I have no experience with other languages – at least not yet, but, well, I won’t try to insult your intelligence, but we obviously need to understand in order to learn. I mean, this is a no brainer. As I am learning about the Portuguese language, I am always making pronunciation corrections with myself. This is because the pronunciation rules do not exist for every situation. For example, I used to think that you pronounced the S in bolsa (purse) like a Z - bolza, but as it turns out, in this situation, the S is pronounced like a normal S. In other situations,  the S is pronounced like a Z as in the following cases -

• Casa (House)
• Usar (To use)
• Peso (Weight)
• Pesado (Heavy)
• Urso (Bear)

 
If you are in an imersion type of learning situation, like me, you are constantly learning. It is a non-stop learning process for me, but at least I ALWAYS have something to blog about … right?