Forums > Specific Focus > Learning Spanish

gringoinmazatlan

Dec 4, 2005, 10:19 AM

Post #1 of 7 (6019 views)

Shortcut

An All new Mexican Spanish phrasebook

Can't Post | Private Reply

For years I've looked for a decent Mexican Spanish phrasebook that also had a pronunciation guide for central/western U.S. and Canadian English speakers. Well, I got tired of trying to find one that I considered worth selling at my bookstore, so I wrote one myself.

My new book “Enjoy México in Spanish” is now available, on-line and downloadable. Here is the URL where you can read the first parts of the book free, then buy it if it's what you want. Just copy & paste to your browser.

http://www.intuitionpress.com/Book_Info.asp?id=35

Of course if you want the real, hard-copy book, you have to come by the bookstore.

_________________
David Bodwell
Mazatlán Book & Coffee Company

katrina_joe

Dec 4, 2005, 10:03 PM

Post #2 of 7 (5991 views)

Shortcut

Re: [gringoinmazatlan] An All new Mexican Spanish phrasebook

Can't Post |

can i pay in money order because i really do need this book..thanks

my name is katrina and my address is

katrina joe
151 E 29th St #8
durango, CO 81301

970-426-8202

thanks

gringoinmazatlan

Dec 5, 2005, 10:37 AM

Post #3 of 7 (5978 views)

Shortcut

Re: [katrina_joe] An All new Mexican Spanish phrasebook

Can't Post | Private Reply

Katrina, Right now, to get the eBook on the Internet, the only way is to have a credit card of some sort. The cost is so small, maybe you can have a friend with a credit card pay it for you if you don't have one.

There are other options if you want the book itself without the complications of downloading and printing, but as I am in Mexico, it's quite expensive (I think). The book itself sells for a little less than $9 USD, but with postage and handling (international) it doubles the cost to $18 USD. If you would like to go this route, you can email me privately at mazbook@yahoo.com and I can tell you how we do it without a credit card.

Thanks for your interest,
David Bodwell
Mazatlán Book & Coffee Company

david2572

Dec 7, 2005, 9:23 AM

Post #4 of 7 (5938 views)

Shortcut

Re: [gringoinmazatlan] Phonetics are confusing

Can't Post | Private Reply

I'm sorry to say that I found the phonetic translations to be confusing at best. "KEY AY roh*OO noh*DAY*KAH thah*OO noh*pohr fah BOHRR" . This is not only confusing, but in my opinion is incorrect. The original FSI course in Spanish also used a phonetic alphabet, and I think most people found it cumbersome. The recent update to FSI, PLATIQUEMOS, does away with the phonetic alphabet entirely but does devote 3 one hour lessons on correct pronuciation. Spanish is such a phonetic language that once the correct sounds are learned, almost any word can be pronounced correctly (there are exceptions, of course). Also, the rules for stress are easily learned, and once learned, can be applied effortlessly.

Anyway, I give it an "A" for effort but "F" for execution.

david2572

Dec 7, 2005, 9:42 AM

Post #5 of 7 (5932 views)

Shortcut

Re: [david2572] Phonetics are confusing

Can't Post | Private Reply

After reading further, I see that there is a pronunciation guide that is to be used with the book. Maybe the guide clears up what I considered to be the phonetic errors that I encountered in reading the first chapter.

Anyway David, my apologies if I jumped in too soon.

Marlene

Dec 7, 2005, 10:28 AM

Post #6 of 7 (5924 views)

Shortcut

Re: [david2572] Phonetics are confusing

Can't Post | Private Reply

Quote

Maybe the guide clears up what I considered to be the phonetic errors that I encountered in reading the first chapter.

I know the local business folks who assisted David with editing his project. They are native speakers, along with an American holding a Spanish degree (with zero trace of a foreign accent). I also know none of them to be shy types, and would surely have jumped all over him if something had been incorrect. Are you a native Spanish speaker and if so, perhaps what you are picking up on is a regional difference?

Something to keep in mind is that different people have different learning styles so while this method may not work for one, it can for others.

gringoinmazatlan

Dec 7, 2005, 12:39 PM

Post #7 of 7 (5912 views)

Shortcut

Re: [david2572] Phonetics are confusing

Can't Post | Private Reply

The confusing part is why I thought to say in the intro that if the phonetic renderings are confusing, you can jump forward to the Transliteration guide to clear up the confusion. I will admit that I may have included too much in the introductory examples that I give, which almost forces folks to jump forward to the Pronunciation Guide and the Transliteration guide, but at the time of writing I didn't know that I would also be publishing electronically and those folks don't want to give you TOO much gratis. :-) For that oversight I will apologize.

However, at the request of one of the leading Spanish schools in Mazatlán, I have, just for them, published—in hardcopy—JUST the pronunciation guide. They thought it was the best and most accurate they had ever seen and are now using it for their students who come from the central/western U.S. and Canada. I must have done SOMETHING right, I guess. Truly, I spent almost double the time researching and writing the pronunciation guide—only 10 pages out of 109—than I spent on the whole rest of the book. That was a very difficult piece of work.

The transliteration guide, on the other hand, is pretty straightforward. Arbitrary, yes. I used my best judgement on how best to present phonetically the phonemes in Spanish so they could easily be pronounced by that same person from the central/western U.S and Canada. If it doesn't work for you (after studying the Transliteration Guide, of course) I'm sorry. I did my best and so far at least, no one who has purchased the book has had any negative comments, at all.

Of course, ALL the pronunciations are MEXICAN Spanish pronunciations. If you have taken ANY other route to learning Spanish, some of them will sound very wrong to you. BUT they really are the way Spanish is spoken here in México. Also, since the book was aimed at the absolute beginner, I did do some simplification so as not to confuse the beginner too much. Most of this is explained in my notes in the Pronunciation Guide and the Transliteration Guide and the rest in the places where it made the most sense to stop and explain something.