Using the Series:

You set up your computer for the Key to Spanish series just as you would if you were using your cassette recorder to record a program or an adventure game. It is especially important that you connectthe computer to the remote control jack with the black wire of the cassette cable, since the program must turn the recorder on and off as it needs it. You will normally want to start with the Introductory Lesson, on the first tape and cartridge. This covers basic expressions such as “buenas dias” (hello) and useful phrases such as, “I’d like to reserve a table.” The phrases are not hard, and the lesson will help you learn what to expect from the series. When you feel you are ready to go on, you can start working your way through lessons one through six, found on the other three cartridges and cassettes. The structure of each lesson is essentially the same as the introduction. You learn a foreign language with your ears. Modern language programs rely heavily on taped conversations between native speakers. By listening carefully to these sentences and repeating them as accurately as you can, you will slowly learn the sounds and structure of the language, so that you can begin to make up your own sentences.

Once the computer has led you through this basic listening and repetition drill, you can pass onto the “More About” sections. These expand on basic concepts of the opening listening section, introduce more vocabutary, and lead into more specific details about sentence structure and grammar. In the introductory lesson, for example, the computer gives variations on the cam- pie sentences. Having taught you to say “1 want to reserve a table,” it might ask you to say “I want to find a museum” or “I’d like to rent a car.” The more 4dvanced lessons will have more complicated exercises in this place. The real test comes with ‘The Pablo Tapes.” This is an extended conversation involving a person named Pablo. Unlike the earlier sections, the sentences are not written on the screen, and you do not need to repeat them. You must listen very carefully, though, since the computer will ask you questions at the end of the conversation. \bu are free to rewind the tape and play it as many times as you wish. This is exceijent training in following spoken conversations. At first, it may seem impossible to catch the drift, even if you have studied the unit carefully The dialogue moves very quickly, and sometimes includes words you have never been taught. But don’t give up if you’re havingtrouble. If you listen to it often enough, you will begin to catch words, then sentences, then entire ideas. This is the best training you can get for the time when you will actually need to understand a sentence in real life. When you have finished the Pablo Tapes, you may want to try one of the word games on the first cartridge. Theywill let you work on vocabulary from any combination of this and past units. Both of the games help you to practice the vocabulary of the units by forcing you to guess the letters of words. Wordchase, a Spanish version of the Hangman game, is the easier and more useful of the two. You will probably want to repeat each unit until you feel at home with all the phrases and can speak them clearly and effortlessly. Texas Instruments feels its Spanish program should take about sixty to eighty hours to work through. The Key to Spanish series is generally easy to use, as long as you go straight through the lessons. Problems can arise if you try to skip around, since the cartridges are designed to work hand in hand with the cassette recorder. If you want to start with the “More About” section, for example, you must either find the place on the tape manually, or letthe computer silently search for about-ten minutes. Even then, you can only start the ~ection at the beginning, not in the middle. If you skip around, the tape can get out of synch with the cartridge program. If this happens, you should try to find the correct selection manually If you can’t, go back and restart the lesson from the beginning.

General Evaluation:

Key to Spanish is an excellent idea, well implemented on the Tl-99/4A. It uses a traditional, proven approach to language teaching, in which the student imitates native speakers. The well-written reference book gives insight into the language and culture. The only problem is the beginning-to-end structure the cassette tapes impose on the lessons. Though possible, it is difficult to start in the middle of a lesson. Fortunately, the lessons are not so long that this becomes a major problem. Of course you must also weigh the cost of the package: with four cartridges and four cassettes, the Spanish series is considerably more expensive than the standard TI line. But you do get a lot for your money—a well- balanced, sound approach to the language with full pronunciation drills. If you study the sines carefully, you will learn the basic conversation skills you would need for travel in Latin America.