Status
Available
Call number
Publication
New York : Harmony Books, [2014]
Description
Foreign Language Study. Self-Improvement. Nonfiction. Self Help. HTML:NATIONAL BESTSELLER �?� For anyone who wants to learn a foreign language, this is the method that will finally make the words stick. �??A brilliant and thoroughly modern guide to learning new languages.�?��??Gary Marcus, cognitive psychologist and author of the New York Times bestseller Guitar Zero At thirty years old, Gabriel Wyner speaks six languages fluently. He didn�??t learn them in school�??who does? Rather, he learned them in the past few years, working on his own and practicing on the subway, using simple techniques and free online resources�??and here he wants to show others what he�??s discovered. Starting with pronunciation, you�??ll learn how to rewire your ears and turn foreign sounds into familiar sounds. You�??ll retrain your tongue to produce those sounds accurately, using tricks from opera singers and actors. Next, you�??ll begin to tackle words, and connect sounds and spellings to imagery rather than translations, which will enable you to think in a foreign language. And with the help of sophisticated spaced-repetition techniques, you�??ll be able to memorize hundreds of words a month in minutes every day. This is brain hacking at its most exciting, taking what we know about neuroscience and linguistics and using it to create the most efficient and enjoyable way to learn a foreign langua… (more)
Subjects
Language
Original publication date
2014
ISBN
9780385348119
User reviews
LibraryThing member Lindoula
As a professional linguist (first in academia, then in industry), I know a little something about language pedagogy and how languages work. Nevertheless, it seems I'm a sucker for any sources that claim to have tips for making language learning more effective. I can't resist browsing through them
This book pleasantly surprised me: it does contain some techniques I haven't heard of before. A lot of it was old news for me (learn high-frequency words first, pay attention to pronunciation, etc.) and much of it is an advertisement for spaced repetition, but there are some more novel tips here that really show promise. I love the author's idea for learning grammatical gender/noun class! (Hint: make it visual to help remember it.) Simple but effective, and he presents good ideas for making visual aids for even the function words with abstract meanings that are often difficult to visualize. (What image would you use for "the", for example?)
I did find the organization of the book a bit strange, but if you're willing to jump around and grab the bits that are useful to you, I think it could be very helpful.
Show More
to see if I might find a new tip I haven't heard of before, and 99% of the time, I'm disappointed.This book pleasantly surprised me: it does contain some techniques I haven't heard of before. A lot of it was old news for me (learn high-frequency words first, pay attention to pronunciation, etc.) and much of it is an advertisement for spaced repetition, but there are some more novel tips here that really show promise. I love the author's idea for learning grammatical gender/noun class! (Hint: make it visual to help remember it.) Simple but effective, and he presents good ideas for making visual aids for even the function words with abstract meanings that are often difficult to visualize. (What image would you use for "the", for example?)
I did find the organization of the book a bit strange, but if you're willing to jump around and grab the bits that are useful to you, I think it could be very helpful.
Show Less
LibraryThing member mckzlve
I thought this book builds a solid foundation for learning a language. I started learning a new language a couple months ago (not regularly, however), and I'm glad I read this before I got any further. He provides solid advice for different flashcards to make, and I found his advice very
Another reviewer commented that his writing about gender made his book outdated. This is pretty confusing, as the book came out in 2014, and many languages still use gender...... so.... not quite sure what that was about. I was having trouble remembering genders for my language, and I think his advice has helped immensely.
I'd definitely recommend this to anyone studying a new language. At the end of each section, he even includes advice on how intermediate/advanced students should progress. The content was easy to follow, and his writing was funny to boot.
Show More
helpful.Another reviewer commented that his writing about gender made his book outdated. This is pretty confusing, as the book came out in 2014, and many languages still use gender...... so.... not quite sure what that was about. I was having trouble remembering genders for my language, and I think his advice has helped immensely.
I'd definitely recommend this to anyone studying a new language. At the end of each section, he even includes advice on how intermediate/advanced students should progress. The content was easy to follow, and his writing was funny to boot.
Show Less
LibraryThing member bodhisattva
An important book not only on learning a new language but also on learning in general and on memory. Relates directly to Joshua Foer's Moonwalking with Einstein. Essential reading for any student of language.
LibraryThing member WaltBristow3
If you’ve ever struggled to learn another language, Fluent Forever by Gabriel Wyner should be the next book on your reading list. Wyner, an opera singer, learned the techniques of successfully learning another language by learning a number of languages. He now shares the secrets he learned along
There are three keys Wyner eventually picked up that will help you learn another language. Learn pronunciation first. Don’t translate. Use spaced repetition systems. Those keys probably don’t represent how you were taught to learn another language. And that’s probably why you were frustrated and didn’t learn that other language very well or very easily.
Wyner mentions those keys are the secret to Mormon missionaries being able to learn other languages. Most of those missionaries spend between 4 weeks and 12 weeks learning a new language. They are then thrown into another country where they have to communicate to survive. And they do. Having spent two years as a Mormon missionary in Germany and then having taught German to other Mormon missionaries after my mission, I can tell you that Wyner is right.
Consider each of those keys. The problem with not learning the correct pronunciation from the beginning is that it’s very hard to unlearn bad pronunciation. Think about someone you know who is trying to unlearn a thick regional American accent. It’s not easy.
Don’t translate. This means you’re not thinking, “What’s the German word for bird?” Instead, you see the image of a bird in your mind and you just know it is a “Vogel.” Wyner suggests, for example, that if you use flashcards, you use cards that have a picture on one side and the word for that picture in your new language on the other — no English. In other words, your mind learns to associate the image of a bird with the word “Vogel” instead of your brain translating “bird” to “Vogel.” It works. It really does.
Use spaced repetition systems. Science long ago showed that you’ll remember something better if you learn it today and then recall it at certain intervals thereafter. Learn it today. Check it tomorrow. Then a week later, then four weeks later, etc. I remember trying to do this with flashcards when I was in high school (years ago when the dinosaurs still roamed the earth). It was hard to keep track of which words and phrases I should be practicing today and how many days forward those cards should then be moved. It’s lots easier today – there’s an app for that. Those apps for your smartphone, tablet and desktop computer do all the heavy lifting for you. (By the way, this principle applies to learning anything – not just languages.)
The book itself is invaluable. However, Wyner has integrated much of what the book teaches into a website, fluent-forever.com, that provides resources to help you learn another language. You will find a list of the 625 most common words, pictures you can use for days of the week, for prepositions and for pronouns. You’ll discover ideas on how to use Google to come up with images (so you don’t have to translate). The website also offers a list of resources for learning a variety of languages – Thai or Arabic anyone? There are instructions on how to use those spaced repetition apps for your smartphone or tablet. And there is a shop where you can buy word lists, pronunciation helps and a variety of other tools to help you in your language-learning journey.
Is the book worth its price? Let’s just say I would have jumped at the chance to have this book when I was trying (unsuccessfully it turns out) to learn French in high school or when I learned German as a Mormon missionary (which was successful). I’ve started using Fluent Forever to improve my German. Maybe I’ll even try another language. Yes, it’s worth the price.
This review was based on a free copy of the book provided by bloggingforbooks.org.
Show More
the way.There are three keys Wyner eventually picked up that will help you learn another language. Learn pronunciation first. Don’t translate. Use spaced repetition systems. Those keys probably don’t represent how you were taught to learn another language. And that’s probably why you were frustrated and didn’t learn that other language very well or very easily.
Wyner mentions those keys are the secret to Mormon missionaries being able to learn other languages. Most of those missionaries spend between 4 weeks and 12 weeks learning a new language. They are then thrown into another country where they have to communicate to survive. And they do. Having spent two years as a Mormon missionary in Germany and then having taught German to other Mormon missionaries after my mission, I can tell you that Wyner is right.
Consider each of those keys. The problem with not learning the correct pronunciation from the beginning is that it’s very hard to unlearn bad pronunciation. Think about someone you know who is trying to unlearn a thick regional American accent. It’s not easy.
Don’t translate. This means you’re not thinking, “What’s the German word for bird?” Instead, you see the image of a bird in your mind and you just know it is a “Vogel.” Wyner suggests, for example, that if you use flashcards, you use cards that have a picture on one side and the word for that picture in your new language on the other — no English. In other words, your mind learns to associate the image of a bird with the word “Vogel” instead of your brain translating “bird” to “Vogel.” It works. It really does.
Use spaced repetition systems. Science long ago showed that you’ll remember something better if you learn it today and then recall it at certain intervals thereafter. Learn it today. Check it tomorrow. Then a week later, then four weeks later, etc. I remember trying to do this with flashcards when I was in high school (years ago when the dinosaurs still roamed the earth). It was hard to keep track of which words and phrases I should be practicing today and how many days forward those cards should then be moved. It’s lots easier today – there’s an app for that. Those apps for your smartphone, tablet and desktop computer do all the heavy lifting for you. (By the way, this principle applies to learning anything – not just languages.)
The book itself is invaluable. However, Wyner has integrated much of what the book teaches into a website, fluent-forever.com, that provides resources to help you learn another language. You will find a list of the 625 most common words, pictures you can use for days of the week, for prepositions and for pronouns. You’ll discover ideas on how to use Google to come up with images (so you don’t have to translate). The website also offers a list of resources for learning a variety of languages – Thai or Arabic anyone? There are instructions on how to use those spaced repetition apps for your smartphone or tablet. And there is a shop where you can buy word lists, pronunciation helps and a variety of other tools to help you in your language-learning journey.
Is the book worth its price? Let’s just say I would have jumped at the chance to have this book when I was trying (unsuccessfully it turns out) to learn French in high school or when I learned German as a Mormon missionary (which was successful). I’ve started using Fluent Forever to improve my German. Maybe I’ll even try another language. Yes, it’s worth the price.
This review was based on a free copy of the book provided by bloggingforbooks.org.
Show Less
LibraryThing member CassandraT
useful. I learned a lot about ways to study and balance approaches for different parts of speech
LibraryThing member JorgeousJotts
This had several tips worth incorporating, and I like how the reasoning behind each was explained. Worth reading.
Physical description
ix, 326 p.; 24 cm
Pages
ix; 326