THE MATERIALS FOR A BASIC COURSE IN SPOKEN BENGALI PRESENTED IN THIS BOOK WERE PREPARED BY REVISION OF AN EARLIER WORK DATED 1959. THE REVISION WAS BASED ON EXPERIENCE GAINED FROM 2 YEARS OF CLASSROOM WORK WITH THE INITIAL COURSE MATERIALS AND ON ADVICE AND COMMENTS RECEIVED FROM THOSE TO WHOM THE FIRST DRAFT WAS SENT FOR CRITICISM. THE AUTHORS OF THIS COURSE ACKNOWLEDGE THE BENEFITS THIS REVISION HAS GAINED FROM ANOTHER COURSE, "SPOKEN BENGALI," ALSO WRITTEN IN 1959, BY FERGUSON AND SATTERWAITE, BUT THEY POINT OUT THAT THE EMPHASIS OF THE OTHER COURSE IS DIFFERENT FROM THAT OF THE "INTRODUCTION TO BENGALI." FOR THIS COURSE, CONVERSATION AND DRILLS ARE ORIENTED MORE TOWARD CULTURAL CONCEPTS THAN TOWARD PRACTICAL SITUATIONS. THIS APPROACH AIMS AT A COMPROMISE BETWEEN PURELY STRUCTURAL AND PURELY CULTURAL ORIENTATION. TAPE RECORDINGS HAVE BEEN PREPARED OF THE MATERIALS IN THIS BOOK WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THE EXPLANATORY SECTIONS AND TRANSLATION DRILLS. THIS BOOK HAS BEEN PLANNED TO BE USED IN CONJUNCTION WITH THOSE RECORDINGS. EARLY LESSONS PLACE MUCH STRESS ON INTONATION WHICH MUST BE HEARD TO BE UNDERSTOOD. PATTERN DRILLS OF ENGLISH TO BENGALI ARE GIVEN IN THE TEXT, BUT BENGALI TO ENGLISH DRILLS WERE LEFT TO THE CLASSROOM INSTRUCTOR TO PREPARE. SUCH DRILLS WERE INCLUDED, HOWEVER, ON THE TAPES. (AL)

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