This is a very upbeat and easy to read book that encourages people to learn new langauge and provides practical tips to learn a language quickly and successfully. As a native English speaker, I appreciate that many of the methods for learning a language are applied to Middle Eastern and Asian languages because I usually think of those as the most difficult and intimidating.
The content is separated into three sections. The first section covers common challenges with learning a language and attempts to help readers get into a postive frame of mind. The author explores how the human brain associates sounds with meaning and suggests that the secret to speaking a language like a local is to learn the sounds first. When we learn to read and write before speaking, we apply sounds from our native languages to the words we see and are thus doomed to always speak a second language with an accent. I thought this was particularly interesting because I learned to speak in English (i.e. I learned English sounds) before I learned to read and write, while I studied the written text of Spanish, Portuguese and French prior or concurrent to learning the sounds and I am often teased about my 'gringo' accent.
The second section explores how people learn a language and suggests the following practices to speed up the learning process:
Learning a language is an excercise in recognizing patterns and you have to gain exposure to a large amounts of information in order to recognize patterns. It is best to immerse yourself with a language community. TV, tapes and other audible sources of the language are the next best way to expose yourself to a language.
Words are more important than grammar. You can communicate your thoughts by learning useful words, even if your grammar is not perfect. Start with words that are used often and learn new words by using a handful of phrases and questions that allow you to ask for information about the language you are learning.
In order to speak like a native, you will need to listen to yourself speak and hone the sounds you make so that they are understood easily by a native speaker.
Making sounds is a physical activity. In other words, it requires the use of muscles. Like all physical exercises, you have to practice in order to master speech in any language.
Grammar helps organize the various sounds that make up a language because grammar helps us relate different sounds and words to each other. We can also see language patterns through grammar and this will help organize and remember the vast amount of information required to speak a new language.
The final section outlines the core of any language and offers tips to master the basics of a language in order to provide a foundation to begin communication and to build on rapidly. Some of these tips include:
Large quantities of words are remembered more easily when they are grouped. For example: body parts, colors, numbers, etc.
Especially important groups are the words that connect thoughts together such as descriptors, questions, etc. because these words will enable you to accelerate your learning.
To speed up the learning of these words, pick representative words from each group and use these when speaking. Allow native speakers to help you with the specific word in that group.
Learn to pick up on the unconscious communication that accompanies the words, such as the rhythm and facial expressions that native speakers use when communicating. The author calls the act of noticing unconscious communication "listening with the third ear." Additional tips for working on body language are found on page 161.
People are most successful when learning a language is in their top three priorities. The author suggests that if it is lower on the priority list, you are unlikely to make much progress. It is important to be clear why you want to learn a language, what your goal is and where it falls on your list of priorities.
This is a very upbeat and easy to read book that encourages people to learn new langauge and provides practical tips to learn a language quickly and successfully. As a native English speaker, I appreciate that many of the methods for learning a language are applied to Middle Eastern and Asian languages because I usually think of those as the most difficult and intimidating.
The content is separated into three sections. The first section covers common challenges with learning a language and attempts to help readers get into a postive frame of mind. The author explores how the human brain associates sounds with meaning and suggests that the secret to speaking a language like a local is to learn the sounds first. When we learn to read and write before speaking, we apply sounds from our native languages to the words we see and are thus doomed to always speak a second language with an accent. I thought this was particularly interesting because I learned to speak in English (i.e. I learned English sounds) before I learned to read and write, while I studied the written text of Spanish, Portuguese and French prior or concurrent to learning the sounds and I am often teased about my 'gringo' accent.
The second section explores how people learn a language and suggests the following practices to speed up the learning process:
The final section outlines the core of any language and offers tips to master the basics of a language in order to provide a foundation to begin communication and to build on rapidly. Some of these tips include:
For more information on Amazon: The Third Ear