Mango Languages

Let’s Talk About Organic Learning!

When I was trying to learn a foreign language in the past, there always seemed to be a rude awakening at the end of the course.  I could no longer acquire new information as soon as the course book ended, the audio tape finished, or the class was over. It was frustrating to know that I spent so much time trying to learn a language and couldn’t continue to build on what I knew after the intense learning method was over.

I wish Organic Learning was incorporated into the different language learning methods I used to try.

Mango’s organic learning lessons are designed to help users continue increasing their vocabulary and cultural insights outside of the Mango lessons! These lessons are focused on teaching you to ask a variety of useful questions and use vital communications that allow users to ask about a word they don’t know, request additional information about any given subject, get clarification from the person they are speaking to, and more. The more you implement organic learning, the more you’ll be able to learn after the end of the course!

Intuitive Language Construction integrates vocabulary, pronunciation, grammar, culture, as well as comprehension and retention strategies into organic learning to make Mango a fun, easy, and incredibly effective resource for foreign language and ESL users!

We can’t teach you every single one of the thousands of vocabulary words that make up a certain language, but we can teach you how to find out this information as you use the language. For example, you may find yourself in Spain and not know the name for a specific fruit you want to buy at a farmer’s market.  After using Mango, you would be able to point to the fruit and say, “Come se dice (point to object) en Español?” which means, how do you say (this) in Spanish? (Literal traslation: What is this called in Spanish). Not only will you now learn the appropriate word, but this technique will allow you to engage in conversations and grow more confident in your communication skills.  It’s a win-win, if you ask me.

See it in action – try a lesson for free!

Also, watch our methodology video to see all the unique features of Mango Languages courses.

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Intuitive Language Construction – Part V Comprehension

We are excited to continue sharing our language learning methodology–we call it the linguistic science behind the Mango Languages Online Language Learning Software.

Doesn’t that sound really smart?

Intuitive Language Construction was developed after looking at current products on the market and listening to feedback from users.

The one thing we heard over and over is that they wanted a program that was fun, easy, completely integrated, and that included the following components:

1. Vocabulary (Click to see previous post)
2. Pronunciation (Click to see previous post)
3. Grammar (Click to see previous post)
4. Culture (Click to see previous post)
5. Comprehension
6. Retention

In this post we are going to talk about comprehension.  No one wants to go through an online foreign language learning program and not understand what they learn.

Our system was conceived as an online experience–not as books and tapes that were later forced into an online format.  We incorporate strategic instructional design, custom developed to be as effective as possible for online learners only.

Although online learning definitely has benefits in the form of accessibility, affordability, pace, and convenience, it opens up a wide variety of new difficulties that were not present in traditional learning environments.

Our Intuitive Language Construction methodology accounts for those difficulties and is specifically designed to help students manage and overcome them, actually increasing comprehension as they learn.

Intuitive Language Construction – Part IV Culture

We are excited to continue sharing our language learning methodology–we call it the linguistic science behind the Mango Languages Online Language Learning Software.

Intuitive Language Construction was developed after looking at current products on the market and listening to feedback from users. The one thing we heard over and over is that they wanted a program that was fun, easy, completely integrated, and that included the following components:

1. Vocabulary (Click to see previous post)
2. Pronunciation (Click to see previous post)
3. Grammar (Click to see previous post)
4. Culture
5. Comprehension
6. Retention

In this post we are going to discuss the fourth component of Intuitive Language Construction…Culture.  This is another big difference in the Intuitive Language Construction methodology.

Mango integrates cultural notes and tips into every lesson, ensuring our students develop an understanding for the expectations, traditions, and etiquette of the people with whom they want to communicate.   Most language learning systems simply ignore culture, but at Mango we think it really is critical to a student’s success in a foreign country.

For example, imagine you didn’t understand the difference between formal and informal greetings.  You wouldn’t want to walk into a meeting with your new boss and exclaim, “Hey Dude. What’s up?”  It would be inappropriate, and in some cultures, it would be a really big offense!  It could possibly even get you fired.

At the same time, you wouldn’t want to be introduced to a new friend at a café, and say something like “I’m very pleased to make your acquaintance.”  That’s a little too formal and can be off-putting.

Understanding culture helps people understand which conversational tools are most appropriate for which situations and which audiences.  Our curriculum is developed by native speaking professional language teachers – many of whom teach at the university level and hold PhDs.  They really understand the cultural challenges that a learner will face for a specific language, and they carefully design each learning experience to help students overcome those challenges.  You just can’t get that through the common word and phrase lists that other learning systems offer.

Why do you think culture is important in the language learning process?  Or do you have a funny cross cultural story to share?

Intuitive Language Contruction – Part II Pronunciation

We are excited to continue sharing our language learning methodology–we call it the linguistic science behind the Mango Languages Online Language Learning Software.

Intuitive Language Construction was developed after looking at current products on the market and listening to users and what they wanted.  The one thing we heard over and over is they wanted a program that was fun, easy, and completely integrated.

We listened.  Mango Languages includes the following components:

1. Vocabulary (Click to see previous post)
2. Pronunciation
3. Grammar
4. Culture
5. Comprehension
6. Retention

In this post, let’s look at pronunciation.  Mango gives you a better, more accurate sense of pronunciation.  I bet you never knew a fruit could do that!

In each course, our audio is recorded by a professional, native-speaking voice talent, using a standard “accent free” dialect.  Why is this important?   Native speakers using a standard accent give you the best possible baseline to model your own pronunciation after.

We also provide additional pronunciation tools to help users:
1. They can see a phonetic spelling at any time, by simply rolling over the word with their mouse cursor.  Users LOVE this feature…

2. We also provide the option to hear 2 different audio speeds:  fluent and articulate.  These are two separate recordings by a professional, native voiceover.  This is totally unique to Mango…
Our competition often provides a “slowdown” button, which plays the same standard audio clip, but mechanically slowed down, creating distortion in the voice, and making it difficult to effectively mimic.  How do we do that?

3. We offer voice comparison technology in our online language learning system!  This feature allows you to speak into a microphone and compare your pronunciation with that of the instructor’s, until you really get it right.  This system allows you to compare your voice with both fluent and articulate speeds.

Most language learning systems incorporate some form of pronunciation instruction, but Mango takes it to a much more interactive and accurate level.

Which pronunciation tool do you use the most? Why?

Intuitive Language Construction – Part I Vocabulary

When learning a foreign language it is important to understand the Linguistic Science behind the book, tapes, or in our case, the online language learning software. Mango Languages is very excited to share our foreign language learning methodology.

Intuitive Language Construction was developed after looking at current products on the market and listening to users and what they wanted.  The one thing we heard over and over is they wanted a program that was fun, easy, and completely integrated.

We listened.

Mango Languages includes the following components:

1. Vocabulary
2. Pronunciation
3. Grammar
4. Culture
5. Comprehension
6. Retention

In this post, lets first look at vocabulary.  These are the words themselves that make up the language.

Most language learning systems focus a lot, if not solely on vocabulary…and there’s no doubt that it’s important. However, Mango focuses on the words and phrases that will be usable in common, real life situations for the language and culture you’re studying.

Mango helps you understand context and makes the most of your valuable time. Vocabulary words are given to you in the form a conversation, rather than just a list.   Some systems provide long lists of terms all at once, making it difficult to follow and learn how all the components work together. Others provide individual “flashcards,” but not a complete conversation, making the vocabulary much less useful since there is no context for the words.  Ultimately, spending hours going through stacks of cards just isn’t fun, but after using Mango you can actually hold a conversation and communicate, which really is the point of learning a foreign language, right?

What do you think is the most important part of a language learning product?