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Paul Pimsleur (October 17, 1927 – June 22, 1976) was a French-American linguist and scholar in the field of
applied linguistics Applied linguistics is an interdisciplinary field which identifies, investigates, and offers solutions to language-related real-life problems. Some of the academic fields related to applied linguistics are education, psychology, Communication stu ...
. He developed the Pimsleur language learning system, which, along with his many publications, had a significant effect upon theories of
language learning Language acquisition is the process by which humans acquire the capacity to perceive and comprehend language. In other words, it is how human beings gain the ability to be aware of language, to understand it, and to produce and use words and ...
and teaching. Pimsleur Language Programs is an American language learning company that develops and publishes courses based on the Pimsleur Method.


Early life and education

Paul M. Pimsleur was born in
New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
and grew up in
The Bronx The Bronx ( ) is the northernmost of the five Boroughs of New York City, boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It shares a land border with Westchester County, New York, West ...
. His father, Solomon Pimsleur, was a Jewish immigrant from France and a composer of music; his American-born mother, Miera, was a librarian at
Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...
. Pimsleur earned a
bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Medieval Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six years ...
at the
City College of New York The City College of the City University of New York (also known as the City College of New York, or simply City College or CCNY) is a Public university, public research university within the City University of New York (CUNY) system in New York ...
, and from
Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...
he earned a
master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional prac ...
in psychological statistics and a
PhD A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of graduate study and original research. The name of the deg ...
in French.


Career

His first position involved teaching
French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...
phonetics Phonetics is a branch of linguistics that studies how humans produce and perceive sounds or, in the case of sign languages, the equivalent aspects of sign. Linguists who specialize in studying the physical properties of speech are phoneticians ...
and phonemics at the
University of California, Los Angeles The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school the ...
. After leaving UCLA, Pimsleur went on to faculty positions at the
Ohio State University The Ohio State University (Ohio State or OSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio, United States. A member of the University System of Ohio, it was founded in 1870. It is one ...
, where he taught French and foreign language education. At the time, the foreign language education program at OSU was the major doctoral program in that field in the U.S. While at Ohio State he created and directed the Listening Center, one of the largest language laboratories in the United States. The center was developed in conjunction with Ohio Bell Telephone and allowed self-paced language study using a series of automated tapes and prompts that were delivered over the telephone. Later, Pimsleur was a professor of education and Romance languages at The
State University of New York at Albany The State University of New York at Albany (University at Albany, UAlbany, or SUNY Albany) is a public research university in Albany, New York, United States. Founded in 1844, it is one of four "university centers" of the State University of N ...
, where he held dual professorships in education and French. He was a
Fulbright lecturer The Fulbright Program, including the Fulbright–Hays Program, is one of several United States cultural exchange programs with the goal of improving intercultural relations, cultural diplomacy, and intercultural competence between the people o ...
at the
Ruprecht Karls University of Heidelberg Heidelberg University, officially the Ruprecht Karl University of Heidelberg (; ), is a public research university in Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Founded in 1386 on instruction of Pope Urban VI, Heidelberg is Germany's oldest unive ...
in 1968 and 1969 and a founding member of the ''
American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages ACTFL (American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages) is an organization aiming to improve and expand the teaching and learning of all languages at all levels of instruction. ACTFL is an individual membership organization of more than ...
'' (ACTFL). He did research on the psychology of language learning and in 1969 was section head of psychology of second languages learning at the International Congress of Applied Linguistics. His research focused on understanding the
language acquisition Language acquisition is the process by which humans acquire the capacity to perceive and comprehend language. In other words, it is how human beings gain the ability to be aware of language, to understand it, and to produce and use words and s ...
process, especially the learning process of children, who speak a language without knowing its formal structure. The term "organic learning" was applied to that phenomenon. For this, he studied the learning process of groups made of children, adults, and
multilingual Multilingualism is the use of more than one language, either by an individual speaker or by a group of speakers. When the languages are just two, it is usually called bilingualism. It is believed that multilingual speakers outnumber monolin ...
adults. The result of this research was the Pimsleur Language Programs. His many books and articles affected theories of language learning and teaching. In the period from 1958 to 1966, Pimsleur reviewed previously published studies regarding linguistic and psychological factors involved in language learning. He also conducted several studies with support from Ohio State or from the US Office of Education. This led to the publication in 1963 of a coauthored monograph, ''Underachievement in Foreign Language Learning'', which was published in the International Review of Applied Linguistics. Through this research, he identified three factors that could be used to calculate
language learning aptitude Language is a structured system of communication that consists of grammar and vocabulary. It is the primary means by which humans convey meaning, both in spoken and signed language, signed forms, and may also be conveyed through writing syste ...
: verbal intelligence, auditory ability, and motivation. Pimsleur was the primary author of the Pimsleur Language Aptitude Battery (PLAB) based on these three factors to assess language aptitude. He concluded that low auditory ability was a major factor in underachievement. Pimsleur was one of the first foreign language educators to show an interest in students who have difficulty in learning a foreign language while doing well in other subjects. Today, the PLAB is used to determine foreign language-learning aptitude, or even a foreign language-learning disability, among secondary-school students.


Death

Pimsleur died unexpectedly of a
heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when Ischemia, blood flow decreases or stops in one of the coronary arteries of the heart, causing infarction (tissue death) to the heart muscle. The most common symptom ...
during a visit to France in 1976.


Legacy

Since its creation in 1977, ''The ACTFL-MLJ Paul Pimsleur Award for Research in Foreign Language Education'', which is awarded annually, bears his name.ACTFL (2012). "The ACTFL-MLJ Paul Pimsleur Award for Research in Foreign Language Education". American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages. Retrieved fro

Pimsleur's business partner, Charles Heinle, continued to develop the Pimsleur courses until he sold the company to
Simon & Schuster Simon & Schuster LLC (, ) is an American publishing house owned by Kohlberg Kravis Roberts since 2023. It was founded in New York City in 1924, by Richard L. Simon and M. Lincoln Schuster. Along with Penguin Random House, Hachette Book Group US ...
Audio in 1997. In 2006, Pimsleur's daughter, Julia Pimsleur, created the Entertainment Immersion Method® inspired by the Pimsleur Method, which is the foundation of th
Little Pim
language teaching program for young children, sold in the U.S. and 22 countries.Hagan, Maggie (2014). Julia Pimsleur Levine. Little Pim, October 2014. Retrieved from http://www.littlepim.com/about/language-learning-kids-method/. In 2013, Simon & Schuster reissued Dr. Paul Pimsleur's out-of-print book ''How to Learn a Foreign Language''How to Learn a Foreign Language
by Dr. Paul Pimsleur
in hardcover and eBook format to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Paul Pimsleur's first course.


Selected works

* Pimsleur, Paul; Quinn, Terence (editors). ''The psychology of second language learning: papers from the Second International Congress of Applied Linguistics, Cambridge, 8–12 September 1969''. London, Cambridge University Press, 1971. * ''Poems make pictures; pictures make poems''. Poems by Giose Rimanelli and Paul Pimsleur. New York : Pantheon Books. 1972. * Pimsleur, Paul. ''Encounters; a basic reader''. implified byPaul Pimsleur ndDonald Berger. New York, Harcourt Brace Jovanovich. 1974. * Pimsleur, Paul. ''How to learn a foreign language''. Boston, Mass. : Heinle & Heinle Publishers, 1980.


References


Further reading

* ''Hommage à Paul Pimsleur'' / mise en œuvre, Robert Galisson. Paris : Didier, 1977. (French)
How To Learn a Language
Carl J. Beuke, PhD. Brief article summarising some of the points from Paul Pimsleur's (now republished by Simon & Schuste
How to Learn a Foreign Language by Dr. Paul Pimsleur
book "How To Learn a Foreign Language". Psychology Today, 2012. {{DEFAULTSORT:Pimsleur, Paul J. 1927 births 1976 deaths City College of New York alumni Columbia Graduate School of Arts and Sciences alumni Ohio State University faculty University at Albany, SUNY faculty University of California, Los Angeles faculty Educators from New York City Language teachers 20th-century American linguists American people of French descent American expatriates in France