Conversation in german points of departure [antikvár]

(pup^llih/i v 1" : i i i. li.Mi"!''r-, i ¦¦ ri 11 ¦!¦ ¦!¦n'I -Jr'rift:' Preface CONVERSATION IN GERMAN: POINTS OF DEPARTURE, SECOND EDITION, is designed for conversation and composition on either the intermediate or advanced level. The difference between levels will lie in the degree of sophistication of the student's responses: the advanced student should exhibit greater control of structure, more mature syntax, a richer vocabulary, a more lively imagination, and in general keener tools of self-expression. The Second Edition contains fifty-one scenes grouped arbitrarily. They cut across as many social strata and cover as many everyday necessities as possible, most of them with types of people and situations equally credible for the home country as for the country whose language the student is studying. Where differences in custom exist, many of these are either evident in the picture itself or are noted in the textual material; the instructor may supply others. We have eliminated two situations from the earlier edition ("Der Hafen" and "Die Parade"), and we have added four completely new units ("Der menschliche Körper," "Die Speisekarte," "Das Familienbudget," "Das Symphonieorchester"), which we believe will be of more immediate interest to the students. "Männer bei der Arbeit" and "Frauen bei der Arbeit" have been combined into one unit pertaining to both men and women, titled "Die Handwerker." "Die Karte der Vereinigten Staaten" has been replaced by "Die Karte der BRD und der DDR." Also, many of the drawings have been updated to give recognition to the roles of women and to reflect changes in dress and grooming. Textual additions in the vocabulary notations include vowel variations of strong and irregular verbs; plurals of nouns; and irregular genitives. Many alterations have been made in questions to reflect new details in the drawings. Flexibility and simplicity are the keynote of this book. Begin anywhere. Skip around among the units, backward or forward, as you wish. There is no progressive degree of difficulty, and no unit depends on any other. The specific vocabulary for each scene is self-sustaining for that lesson; hence there is no need for a vocabulary at the end of the book. Omit whatever may not be pertinent to the condition or interest of the class. One scene and its paraphernalia, if pursued in their entirety, provide sufficient material for a one-hour class. Since this book is designed for use beyond the beginning level, it is assumed that students know the basic grammar and have at their command a fundamental vocabulary (although an appendix of numbers, verb tenses, and irregular verbs is useful at any level, and so is included here). The commonest words are taken for granted. Though not necessary, it might be helpful it the students had a dictionary for working from English to German. The title of the book with its reference to "points of departure" suggests the expansive way in which the various scenes should be used. Repetitious pattern drills and contrived dialogs