Pimsleur Spanish (Spain-Castilian) Level 1 Lesson 1

Summary

The Pimsleur® Method has worked for millions all over the world. Totally portable; simple to use; Pimsleur works so you don’t have to. Castilian Spanish Phase 1, Unit 1 contains 30 minutes of spoken language practice, with an introductory conversation, and isolated vocabulary and structures. Detailed instructions enable you to understand and participate in the conversation. The lesson contains full practice for all vocabulary introduced in this unit. The emphasis is on pronunciation and comprehension, and on learning to speak Castilian Spanish.

About Castilian Spanish

• In the United States, the term “Castilian” or “Castilian Spanish” usually refers to the dialect that is the official language of Spain, where it’s used in television and radio broadcasts.  It is understood throughout the country, although there are marked regional differences.


• The difference between Castilian Spanish as spoken in Spain and Spanish as spoken in the Americas (now called Latin American Spanish) is due to the diminishing contact between Spain and the Americas over the centuries and to the influence of local languages in the Americas.  These two main variants of Spanish are mutually intelligible; the difference between them is comparable to that between British English and American English. 


• Pimsleur’s “Castilian Spanish” teaches the official dialect as spoken by the majority of Spanish-speakers in Spain.


• Spanish is the official language of twenty-one countries and is one of the six official languages of the United Nations.   Spanish is the first language of more than 350 million people, more than any other language except Mandarin Chinese. 


• Furthermore, Spanish is a common second language --- the most studied after English, and the third most commonly used on the Internet after English and Mandarin.