The Rosetta Stone Challenge has been offered by me, and then through Young's Language Consulting, in response to an actual challenge presented to me in June of 1984 when I was told that to teach Spanish and Portuguese using approximately 150 words and minimal grammar, is an impossible task.
Because of my previous experience with learning Ancient Egyptian Hieroglyphs and learning about the Rosetta Stone in school, I decided to research languages - not the books or teaching methods or scientific studies, but the languages themselves. I wanted to know what will make vocabulary and grammar easier to learn and retain in the memory without all the headaches. Eventually I came upon a book that really gave me the insight I needed to defeat the challenge and bring the Spanish and Portuguese languages within the reach of students. As time went on, I was able to expand the list to a total of 11 European languages and a handful of other non-European languages.