Abstract:

"The most systematic and extensive course system available in spoken Tibetan language, Fluent Tibetan, was developed by language experts working in conjunction with indigenous speakers at the University of Virginai under a grant from the International Research and Studies Program of the Deptartment of Education In Washington, D.C. Fluent Tibetan is based upon courses developed by the U.S. State Department's Foreign Service Institute (FSI) for diplomats needing to learn a language quickly - a model unsurpassed in its effectiveness. The method acquaints students with the sounds and patterns of Tibetan speech, through repetiitive interactive drills, enabling the quick mastery of increasingly complex structures, and thereby promoting rapid progress in speaking the language. Fluent Tibetan is the best course available anywhere for learning on your own. The package consists of textbooks and tape recordings, arranged in fifteen units. The first three units are devoted to recognition and pronunciation of the Tibetan alphabet and its combinations in syllables and words. With unit four, vocabulary and grammatical patterns are introduced in situational dialogues. The exceptionally clear voices in the dialogues and drills are both male and female indigenous Tibetans. The glossary is both Tibetan-English and English-Tibetan. Fluent Tibetan roughly corresponds to two semesters of college-level language study. Having completed this course, students should be capable of intermediate level speech as defined by the University of Virginia's Tibetan Oral Proficiency Guidelines formulated by William Magee."