How to learn a foreign language

by Graham E. Fuller

Book Overview

Anyone struggling to learn any foreign language will benefit from the guidance and advice offered in this unique handbook. It will teach you how to get going and how to learn any new language quickly... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1566192730
• ISBN13: 9781566192736
• Release Date: January 1993
• Publisher: Barnes & Noble
• Length: 102 Pages
• Weight: 0.65 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Who else wants to learn a foreign language?

As the owner of Toni Roman's LearningSpanishVideoReviews web site, I am more than happy to have this opportunity to post my review of this wonderful resource for learning a foreign language. This is a wonderful book for someone that is having difficulty learning a foreign language and is looking for some helpful tips. The one thing that I found most helpful about this book is that it is written both from the perspective of someone that is both an instructor and a student of a foreign language. Fuller is not only a foreign language expert and instructor, he has also studied 16 languages. The mere thought of studying some of the languages that he has learned makes me cringe when I think of the difficulty a native English speaker like myself would've encountered trying to learn some of them. Among the languages that he has studied are French, German, Persian, Japanese, Turkish, Chinese, Arabic, Greek and Russian. He has also lived abroad in Europe, the Middle East and the Far East. That's why he is especially sensitive to the importance of learning the practical aspects of everyday or conversational language, and this is reflected in his book.

Excellent Introduction

After many years experience studying several different languages I can assure you that this is an excellent summary of techniques useful to learning a language from someone who has used the techniques himself. The author provides interesting insights into how languages work and, more importantly, it is very easy to understand. It is not too much, but just enough of what you need to settle in and learn the language of your choice.

Pep Talks

I agree with the review by CJ that this is a good book for those just getting their feet wet in language study. It covers all the bases in an entertaining way. However, even for those who have been at it for a while, inspirational reading is a must! And this little book is a good one to go back to when the feeling of drudgery becomes overwhelming.

Good for the right audience.

Ihave read the book and have a little to say about it from twodifferent perspectives. First of all, I think that everything Fullersays about learning languages is true and can be effectively appliedby anyone learning a foreign language. Fuller talks about learningmethodology, word groupings, mnemonics and use of the tape recorder aswell as ways to increase vocabulary effectively. He uses actualexamples taken from languages such as Turkish and Russian. I think theinformation contained here would be useful to someone who is seriousabout learning a language for whatever reason and who is approachinglanguage learning for the first time. I think Fuller's presentationstyle is concise and clear too. That is the mark of aprofessional. However I think I should point out that if you havealready studies a language to degree level, let's say, then you willalready have figured out most of what Fuller is talking about already,if not all of it! I am not taking away from the value of the book whensaying this because I think it is a good book for the inexperiencedwannabe language master. But for people who are linguists it will onlytell you what you already know.