German for Reading(Second Edition) - Softcover

Wendel, John R.; Sandberg, Karl C.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 158510745X ISBN 13: 9781585107452

Publisher: Focus, 2015

Synopsis

German for Reading presupposes no previous acquaintance with German and can be used with equal effectiveness by graduate students in the arts and sciences who are preparing to pass a reading knowledge examination, or by undergraduates who are beginning to deal seriously with the problems of reading. Its programmed format permits it to be used either as a classroom text or by individuals working on their own.

The second edition builds on strengths of the first while updating outdated terminology, removing terms and phrases no longer in use, and incorporating many revisions made in light of suggestions from readers.

About this title

About the Author

The late Karl C. Sandberg was former chairman of the Department of French, Macalester College, as well as co-author of widely used "for Reading" books for French and Spanish.

John R. Wendel, Emeritus of the Department of German Studies, University of Arizona, earned his PhD at the University of Connecticut and taught German and humanities until his retirement.

Review

"Sandberg and Wendel's German for Reading certainly deserves publication in this revised and corrected edition, for the following reasons: Organization: German for Reading takes the approach of quickly showing language in context, concentrating on decoding meaning from available clues, and giving a large number of examples to illustrate the variations available. It does not dwell on discussions of grammatical forms, and avoids confusing terminology. The learning topics in the chapters are grouped from simpler to more complex (and less frequent) structures, giving students a smooth and less frustrating learning curve. Exercises: The exercise examples are filled with quick hints and further directions to help explain specific language usage and exceptions. I have often found reading textbooks have far too few exercises to work with; here we have a format for self-learning, a range of simple and complex examples, and the luxury of plenitude to choose from. Reading examples: In classes where current materials are used students often complain that they are not getting the chance to work with familiar names that they associate with German history and culture. The texts included here are well chosen and will appeal to the target audience for this book." --Rex Clark, Department of Germanic Languages and Literatures, The University of Kansas (retired)

About this edition

• Publisher: Focus
• Publication date: 2015
• ISBN 10: 158510745X
• ISBN 13: 9781585107452
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 2
• Number of pages: 496