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El Mundo: en Español
by José Bermúdez-Cuadros
139 pages; quality trade paperback (softcover); catalogue #07-0085; ISBN 1-4251-1686-8; US$15.65, C$18.00, EUR12.20, £8.09
EL MUNDO (The World ), consists of thirty-five logically developed lessons offering a world perspective of the Spanish language either from Spain or Latin America. It is an excellent instruction book.
About the Book
El Mundo (level 1) is designed for beginner and intermediate students of the Spanish language. Its main objective is to encourage the student to gradually develop the four basic language skills: listening, speaking reading and writing while learning the grammar and vocabulary presented in each lesson. The book consists of thirty-five lessons, most of them divided into three or four parts: vocabulary, useful expressions, grammatical explanations and exercises. The book is written in both English and Spnish. As an aid to the student, the two versions are written in different fonts. As the lessons advance, the English explanations are gradually phased out in order for the student to rely on the Spanish already learned. The book offers a world perspective of the Spanish language. The title EL MUNDO (The World) was chosen to illustrate that this program was designed for the student interested in learning and understanding Spanish either from Spain or Latin America. The terms castellano and español are used interchangeably. Castellano because it was the language spoken in the kingdom of Castilla which later became the official language of Spain and is commonly known as español. Both terms are still in use.
About the Author
José Bermúdez-Cuadros was born in Huánuco, Peru, 400 Km northeast of Lima. He came to Canada in 1975. He holds Bachelor Degrees in English and Spanish from the University of Victoria and A teaching certificate from The Ministry of Education of British Columbia. He has been teaching Spanish in high schools, at Camuson College in Victoria from 1991 until 1999 and has taught spanish to post-graduate students in the University of Victoria in 1997 and 1998. He is also a translator and interpreter for the Provincial and Supreme Courts of British Columbia, as well as for government departments, various businesses and individuals
Reviews
El Mundo en español
"I traveled to Mexico and took the textbook along to help me improve my speaking skills while I traveled. I find this text to be very well written, clear and very helpful. The book is well organized and easy to use."
Jody Paterson, Newpaper and Magazine Critic and Editorial Writer
El Mundo en español
An introductory Spanish text for beginners to intermediate level by José Bermúdez Cuadros.
"It is a distinct pleasure to make some observations about this text. My knowledge of it extends over a period of more than two years while I was a student of José's in a small group setting. When I started out, I was a complete novice who did not even know the numbers in Spanish. However, I have been a student and teacher of second languages, so soon integrated myself into a group of students who already had a basic knowledge of the language. Because of my previous experience in teaching languages, I am somewhat qualified to make valid comments about a teaching manual. While this text does not readily lend itself to self-instruction (unless one has access to a Spanish speaker), it certainly works very well in the classroom, both large and intimate. It progresses well and logically from very basic expressions and phrases to more complex syntax and grammar. I found the grammatical explanations and exercises very helpful. Above all, I appreciated the constant use of Spanish instructions (along-side English) and especially the employment of the proper Spanish terms for all aspects of vocabulary, explanations, and grammar. The text emphasized (in bold) all important features such as vowel and stem changes in the tenses. The text has 35 lessons, progressing logically from simple to complex concepts and structures. Each lesson begins with a vocabulary section and generally has some useful expressions, grammatical structures and explanations, and often a reading text and several exercises. There are even some blank pages to add notes, questions, comments. The Appendix is very valuable as it includes useful expressions, the conjugation of all important Spanish verbs (a most useful section!), and lastly a Spanish-English Vocabulary.
All in all, a very useful text for the beginner as well as intermediate student of Spanish! It was a distinct pleasure to learn from this text, having the Maestro himself as my teacher."
D. Hartmetz, B.Ed., M.A., PhD.
Victoria, B.C., Canada
