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Learn to Speak Like a Native: A Review | ||
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 Language Learning Forum : Language Programs, Books & Tapes |  | |
| Journeyer Triglot Senior Member United States tristan85.blogspot.c Joined 6896 days ago 946 posts - 1110 votes  Speaks: English*, Spanish, German Studies: Sign Language | Message 1 of 1 01 July 2010 at 9:53pm | IP Logged |
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I recently purchased a copy of “Learn to Speak Like a Native: Professional Secrets to Mastering Foreign Languages” by Michael D. Janich from Amazon. I’ve been studying languages for nearly a decade now, starting with French in high school and Esperanto on my own. Despite the experience I’ve had with teaching myself languages, I still realize there is plenty to learn about and wanted to give this book a shot. I was drawn to it because of its statement to give advice on learning a language to a “native” level and because the author has had experience learning two reputedly difficult languages (Vietnamese and Mandarin most notably) through study at the Defense Language Institute, which has the reputation of being one of the finest language instruction institutions in the US, if not the world. It’s been a place I’ve wanted to go ever since I got into language learning, but since I doubt I’ll join the US Armed Forces I doubt I’ll have the opportunity. I read the book hoping that some of the effectiveness from these DLI classes might rub off, since the author graduated with very high marks. Onto the content of the book: If you are a beginning student of languages, no matter if it’s in a classroom setting, with a tutor, or if you are on your own, you would probably do yourself a favor to read it. It’s short (just over a hundred pages and lightly illustrated with photos) and despite the author’s no beating-around-the-bush voice, it’s not overwhelming. However, I wouldn’t recommend that it is the only book you read to figure out how to learn languages. I would also suggest you read “How to Learn Any Language” by Barry Farber, which is also very easy to read and has a very friendly tone, filled with stories and examples. Some of his information is dated but not significantly (as is the case in this book too) and I don’t follow his path to the letter, but his enthusiasm his helpful when you hit rough patches while starting out. This format of this book, on the other hand, is smart language study divided into lists of tips and advice. A few examples include labeling your home with Post-It notes to quickly learn vocabulary, creating your own grammar sheets, and seeking out native speakers in ethnic restaurants (he even gives advice that might not occur, such as going in the “off hours” so they are less rushed and more inclined to speak with you, and then leaving a big tip to help smooth the road as you become a regular at the place). Janich also stresses the importance of linguistic goals and how to approach them in a very clear manner. Among the language tools and skills Janich mentions are about various kinds of dictionaries (bilingual, one-way, visual, etc) that are useful, different types of language courses (books, internet, software, video), as well as ways on how to get the most out of conversations with native speakers. One thing I did find disappointing: Janich barely discusses reading strategies in the target language. Granted that for some people reading isn’t a priority, but I feel that this is such an important topic that applies to most learners who want to learn in depth (especially since the title implies in-depth advice) is definitely needs to be discussed. However, for that you can turn to yet another book (and this one is free and available as a PDF): “Polyglot: How I Learn Languages” by Kato Lomb. While I felt that this book is also lacking, it focuses almost primarily on using books to learn a language (not just vocabulary, but also idioms and structure through context). It is also written towards the average language learner and is quick to go through. To be honest, since I’m not new to the game, I didn’t find much in this book that was a revelation for me. However, if I were starting out I could do myself a favor by getting some of this man’s no-nonsense advice, and I do plan on modifying my methods in accordance to what I liked in the book. I suppose it speaks towards the book’s genuine – if a bit stoic sounding – enthusiasm for languages and their cultures that it did want me to take another look at my Spanish skills and work on improving them to a higher level. Three things stand out for me personally: seriously using literal translations in learning to aid in engraining the target language’s structure on the brain, which goes hand-in-hand with the second thing: accept the language for what it is and stop questioning why it has weird idiosyncrasies that don’t exist in your language. And the third bit of advice I thought was rather sly: When getting your brain used to the sounds of the language, listen to the audio tapes in a nice, quiet environment. Pretty straightforward. However, once you have a bit of a foothold, start listening to the language in a noisy environment using headphones that don’t block out all the noise. This adds realism to when you are in the language’s natural environment, such as at a market, or on a university campus, or in the town square. This book is not a method book. It doesn’t give you a step-by-step routine to follow to learn a language to any level, let alone an advanced one. What it simply does is tell which important tools will be critical for the duration of your learning. The advantage to this approach is that it will work with most kinds of learners’ methods, as they will be able to use what applies to them rather than necessarily overhauling their whole learning method to fit a new structure. Janich says time and again that there’s no magic to learning a language to a high level: it takes work and dedication and lots of it. This book does have a bit of a “military” feel to it in the way that Janich cuts right to the chase. While I personally agree that languages are a lot of work, I think learning them can also be playful. To Janich’s credit, while he takes language study very seriously he doesn’t ever give the impression that it needs to be dreary. People play in different ways, and Janich’s idea of playfulness won’t be the same for all learners. For those starting out: The best way to figure out how to do something is to do it. But this book gives some valuable guidance and might be worth a look. I do wish it went into much more depth than it does on most of its topics, but its aim is more work as a primer to smart language study and to set you out in the right direction. After that, because generally speaking we all use the same basic tools somehow, find the method that works the best for you and study about those in depth as they apply to your situation. 6 persons have voted this message useful |
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