Availability of FSI course text for Estonian

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Availability of FSI course text for Estonian

Postby Szutsalyi on April 6th, 2010, 9:30 pm

This website does not list an FSI course text available for Estonian, though Estonian is taught at FSI, probably using a text developed at FSI. So how can I get a copy of that text plus any possible audio materials?
Szutsalyi
 
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Joined: April 6th, 2010, 9:14 pm

Re: Availability of FSI course text for Estonian

Postby chung on April 7th, 2010, 8:33 am

As far as I know, FSI never released any course for Estonian to non-military folks. There is an Estonian course that is available and whose teaching method and thoroughness is comparable to a course from FSI. It is Felix Oinas' "Basic Course in Estonian". This course is based on teaching material dating from around the Second World War and it is likely NOT in the public domain. The book is offered for sale as a reprint from Routledge Publishing usually for about $150 US or more while almost all of the audio is available for free use from Indiana University's Audio Archive.

http://languagelab.bh.indiana.edu/estonian_archive.html

Even when a language was taught at FSI, that doesn't mean that all of the associated course materials will be listed on this website. FSI did not release all such materials for resale or additional redistribution to people outside the military. Contributing volunteers have then made the best with what has been available while ensuring that material here is in the public-domain within the USA.
chung
 
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Joined: January 7th, 2009, 7:56 pm

Re: Availability of FSI course text for Estonian

Postby Szutsalyi on April 11th, 2010, 12:10 am

Thank you, Chung, for your thoughtful reply and information.

I am familiar with the Oinas text, built on the old "audio-lingual" model, as well as several more up-to-date texts produced in Finland.

Do you think I might be able to get a copy of the FSI Estonian text now being used?
Last edited by Szutsalyi on April 15th, 2010, 7:37 am, edited 1 time in total.
Szutsalyi
 
Posts: 2
Joined: April 6th, 2010, 9:14 pm

Re: Availability of FSI course text for Estonian

Postby chung on April 11th, 2010, 1:58 pm

You're likely in a better position than almost all of us on this forum to know because you were involved at one time with producing the course. I suppose that it's possible you may be able to get something but DLI or FSI's policy about releasing obsolete material to outsiders seems haphazard when you see what is available on ERIC or on sale at NTIS. Some languages have lots of material available, others have next to nothing. I've always found it odd that NTIS sells so little Russian material, and nothing for Hindi-Urdu or Farsi but it offers self-contained kits for Bulgarian, Moré and Sinhalese among other "lower-profile" languages. Even though the market for "big" languages appears saturated, that hasn't seemed to be an obstacle to selling FSI courses for Arabic, French, German or Spanish.
chung
 
Posts: 13
Joined: January 7th, 2009, 7:56 pm


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