The Standard Deviants - Spanish, Parts 1 & 2

The Standard Deviants - Spanish, Part 1
The first hint that this isn't your normal, staid Spanish review course is the subtitle that's flashed across the screen: the "Salsa-riffic World of Spanish." The Standard Deviants, a cast of ebullient young performers who believe no joke is too bad as long as its memorable, bring their talents to a course in introductory Spanish in this video. Lots of flashy graphics keep things lively, but the course material itself is rock solid--it's been approved by an academic panel. Following some basic information on where Spanish is spoken, the real lessons begin with instruction on pronunciation and the Spanish alphabet (which, of course, uses some typographical symbols not used in English). A bit of vocabulary is imparted as the pronunciation lessons progress, and after some pointers on capitalization, simple lessons in practical conversation begin. The video proceeds to the inescapable bane of many language students, conjugating verbs. While this production won't be a substitute for an actual course in Spanish (and the cast specifically points out that it doesn't intend to be), the presentation is consistently energetic, with the lessons easy to remember. Someone who is interested in learning (or reviewing) basic material will no doubt gain from watching it. --Robert J. McNamara

The Standard Deviants - Spanish, Part 2
In the opening jingle, the oddball lyrics "Careful or you're speaking Spanglish, then your grade will cause you anguish" provide a glimpse into the premise of this production from the Standard Deviants. In this, their second trip to the "Salsa-riffic World of Spanish," the energetic young cast performs skits and unleashes some clever and elaborate computer graphics while providing a reliable review course in the Spanish language. Starting with what's billed as "Really Basic Stuff," the cast reviews practical matters such as how to count, talks about what time it is, and discusses the weather. Moving into more advanced material, there are pointers on grammar, with a focus on the rules of particular verbs. It should be noted that the curriculum has been approved by a panel of professors, but the cast members tend to present the material in a relaxed format, which often involves the use of costumes and some bad (and hopefully memorable) jokes. Each major portion of the program is followed by a quiz, which the student can either take or skip, and the entire DVD concludes with an exam titled "La Tormenta." This DVD isn't a substitute for classes in Spanish, but as review material the unorthodox presentation would be helpful to a student. --Robert J. McNamara

Ok, and here are some more gripes...the Spanish that is heard in the video is often spoken with a less-than-authentic accent. The written Spanish had errors within the first two minutes of the video. And worst sin of all..mixing Spanish and English in the same sentence! and why spend all that time on capitalization rules? in the very first lesson?

All in all it's pretty boring and repetitive in a way that's really not very effective. I was disappointed. Hoped to use the videos for beginning students, but I doubt very much that I'll subject anyone to them. I haven't even mentioned the dopey stereotypes..but I should have been ready for them given the title of the video. Sorry I put out the dough for this one.


Ah, Spanish, how I love and hate thee....   January 22, 2001
Chris V. (Philadelphia, PA United States)
34 out of 37 found this review helpful

Let me say, first of all, that the DVD itself is nicely done. You can skip ahead to different sections, as well as to reviews. The DVDs contain practice tests that you can take with your remote control. Test taking was never so state-of-the-art. My one complaint with the tests is that everytime you get a question correct, it says "muy bien". Just a simple "correcto" or a "santa vaca!" would have sufficed.

What the DVDs contain may be of great or little value, depending on what you are seeking. The DVDs offer solid, entertaining lessons on the basics of the Spanish language. The mildly amusing, educational DVDs provide instructions on simple things, like the verbs ser and estar, as well as numbers, pronunciation, etc. The actors present the information in an untraditional way, with the belief that if the lessons are enjoyable, people will remember them more. Not surprisingly, they are correct.

However, if you are thinking these DVDs might be suitable aids when you are trying to learn more advanced Spanish, I am sorry to say that they are not. These DVDs offer suitable learning assistance for a Spanish 1 class, but beyond that your struggles and frustrations with the language are between you and your textbook


Bad instruction   December 22, 2002
John D. Hoffman (San Francisco, CA United States)
30 out of 34 found this review helpful

The DVD could be a great medium to teach spanish basics, but this is just plain silly. Even as a beginner, I spotted mistakes like in incorrectly accenting "esta". Who knows how they chose the vocabulary -- some words are presented that you really wouldn't ever use. They start to teach ser and estar, and then go into why it's OK to leave out the subject pronouns. Aside from my specific gripes, it's all too silly, aiming for a 4th or 5th grade slapsick level. DVD is 99% english (and even most of that is unneeded and a waste of time) and 1% spanish. Perhaps people would enjoy the silly images, but I'm sure that there's no spanish language teaching here.


A fun way to learn - it's true!   May 4, 2001
12 out of 15 found this review helpful

I recently picked up the Standard Deviants Spanish 1&2 on a lark. I took Spanish in High School (far too long ago for me to remember anything, not that I was all that good at it anyway). I thought the tapes covered the basics in a way that kept my attention, without being too juvenile or silly. Unlike the previous reviewer, I LIKED the use of English and Spanish... it helped me pair the words and their meaning more easily. I fscholl had been more like this, I probably would've paid more attention (and remembered more today)!


Breath of fresh air   February 14, 2003
11 out of 15 found this review helpful

I was struggling with Spanish, but these DVD's rock. They really slowed it down for me, and it was useful hearing other English speakers and Spanish speakers do it at the same time. Besides, the video parts are really funny. It's like Saturday Night Live decided to teach Spanish.