Wie, bitte? is a proficiency-oriented first-year German package that was first published in conventional form but now is being produced also as computer-based multimedia packages. In its book form it is significantly shorter in pages (380) than other texts (550!), and has a distinctively lower grammatical ceiling that is designed to fit the level of proficiency that the profession has determined to be reasonably expectable in first-year college courses. Special features make the Class Text particularly suited for partner and small-group learning: large pages, an abundance of realia that has a real purpose, and a layout that keeps everything for a given activity on its own page.

The companion Study Text (200 pp.), for use outside class, contains communicative activities for listening, reading, and writing, as well as a reference grammar, glossaries, and similar resources. Instructor's manual with proficiency / prochievement tests, exercise keys, and additional realia. Master cassettes free on adoption.

Together the authors have more than sixty years of experience in the first-year language classroom. They were among the earliest teachers in the country to receive training in ACTFL proficiency testing. They produced the entire Wie, bitte? package themselves - not just the usual writing of text, but also the layout, photographs, collection and selection of realia, tapes and software, and even some of the typesetting.

Although Wie, bitte? was well received by reviewers, it was not adopted widely and is no longer actively marketed by the publisher. (It may still be available.) Now it has been recreated by one of the authors as a computer-based package, CosmoLingua, intended for presentation in the classroom and individual study outside it. It will run on both Macintosh and PC computers.

Produced in conjunction with "Wie, bitte?" are two software programs now available for free download from another page on this site: the "Wie, bitte?" German writing tutorials and the "Cosmo Telefon" German listening tutorials.

Both are standalone for Macintosh only.

For further information contact the authors:

Peter N. Richardson, Linfield College
Juan Manuel Gómez, Linfield College

Earl L. Rees, Portland State University
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