The Guide to German pronunciation offers a concise explanation of the different sounds one will encounter in a German-speaking country. Numerous sound files allow the user to distinguish between similar pairs of words and to overcome the errors most commonly made by English speakers. Additionally, a number of exercises enable users to practise their pronunciation skills.
Type of Material:
Sounds and sound combinations are explained briefly, along with examples (a word) for the respective sound(s).
Recommended Uses:
In beginning classes, to introduce the sounds, and later on to review sounds that pose difficulties. Some pages offer helpful comparisons of easily confused sounds (long versus short vowels, for example).
Technical Requirements:
Soundcard, speakers or headphones, and an WAV-file type player. One externally-linked example, a song, requires a RealAudio-capable player.
Identify Major Learning Goals:
To learn and improve one's pronunciation of German sounds.
Target Student Population:
Beginners and up.
Content Quality
Rating:
Strengths:
This site does what it intends to do very well. It describes the sounds and supplies audio samples for them. The sound files--in wav-format--are of good quality. Generally, the speakers enunciate clearly, but in some instances the recordings are not clear and contain hisses or pops (e.g. p/b: lieben/lieb).
Concerns:
"c" and "n" are not introduced separately. There are also some variations in the volume of the recordings, even within the same page. Moreover, the female speaker seems to have been recorded reading everything from a list, with the individual words then split into separate sound files afterward; as a result, she tends to give every word except the last on a page a rising intonation which could prove misleading for beginners.
Potential Effectiveness as a Teaching Tool
Rating:
Strengths:
This site succeeds in reviewing sounds in a straightforward manner. Anyone interested in the sounds of German will get an overview of the essentials in an uncomplicated manner.
Concerns:
Some tasks are provided; however, most items do not contain exercises per se but instead add to the presentation: for example #1, "Anglicized German Words". While informative and useful, they are not exercises. Only in a few instances are users asked to perform a task (oddly enough, one--#6, "Alphabet Exercise"--is to imagine how they might pronounce an abbreviation, but not to actually do it). It seems easy to simply encourage users to repeat all sounds and samples they hear and profit that way.
Ease of Use for Both Students and Faculty
Rating:
Strengths:
Everything about this site is uncomplicated. Design and presentation are clear, and all material is easily accessible. The arrangement in columns works very well. The page consists of three major sections: consonants (on the left side), vowels and vowel cominations/dipthongs (on the right side). Clicking on a sound will display the respective information in the middle column.
Concerns:
Only the "Home" link is somewhat hidden, placed in a small font at the (usually not visible) bottom of the center column. In order to scroll down the center with the mouse, the user has to remember that the scroll bar is to the right of the center frame, and not at the far right of the screen.
Creative Commons:
Search by ISBN?
It looks like you have entered an ISBN number. Would you like to search using what you have
entered as an ISBN number?
Searching for Members?
You entered an email address. Would you like to search for members? Click Yes to continue. If no, materials will be displayed first. You can refine your search with the options on the left of the results page.
Searching for Members?
You entered an email address. Would you like to search for members? Click Yes to continue. If no, materials will be displayed first. You can refine your search with the options on the left of the results page.
