Berlitz Publishing
ISBN: 800157-88-AMC


Who among us can recite the alphabet without thinking of that melodic
song through which we learned it in the first place? This enduring
association illustrates how powerful melody and rhythm can be when
applied to learning a language, and Berlitz has corralled both these
concepts in its title Rush Hour Spanish. A 3-CD set of listenings that
comes complete with a 112-page Listener’s Guide, Rush Hour Spanish
contains over 2 ½ hours of audio that will have you thinking, “Hey, I
can really learn like this.”

Berlitz calls its approach “language learning entertainment for people
on the go,” and it certainly is that. The program itself is divided into
10 Shows, each of which presents 2 to 4 songs in both Spanish and
English. The short, catchy songs touch upon key aspects of Spanish that
even absolute beginners will find easy to pick up, and they also
progress slowly, presenting just three or four new words or phrases at a
go. Moreover, the songs are repeated (at intervals) in order to
reinforce the target language, which is a very helpful feature.

In addition to the songs, the listener is introduced to Jon the English
speaker, who meets Spanish-speaking Elená. The pair slowly get to know
each other and as they do so, Elená teaches Jon more and more of her
native tongue. Their dialogs contain phrases that range from simple,
(for example in Show 1, “My name is…” (Me llamo...)) to relatively more
complex (such as in Show 10, “I’m glad you called,” (Me alegra que me
hayas llamando)).

The one caution to be offered about Rush Hour Spanish is this: Those of
us who are acoustically-oriented will enjoy this title immensely. But
for those of us who have trouble learning primarily through listening,
other titles might be better suited to your learning style.

Nevertheless, if you are looking for a fun, effective, listening-based
approach to Spanish language acquisition, Berlitz’ Rush Hour Spanish is
an excellent choice.

The above review was contributed by:  Jim  Curtiss:   Click Here To Read More Of Jim’s Reviews