How to Learn Any Language: Quickly, Easily, Inexpensively, Enjoyably and on Your Own

by Barry Farber

Book Overview

That may be the most frequently told joke in the world -- it's repeated every day in almost every language. Unfortunately, Americans are notoriously bad language learners. That's partly because before... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0806512717
• ISBN13: 9780806512716
• Release Date: January 1991
• Publisher: Kensington Publishing Corporation
• Length: 192 Pages
• Weight: 0.55 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.4" x 8.2"

Customer Reviews

Inspirational and Applicable Way to Being Multilingual

There are so many reasons to start learning a foreign language that's just not possible to list them all. Some wish to secure a solid job in an ever shrinking world. Many hope to learn the language of their heritage or ancestry, getting back to their roots. And even some would hope to meet their future wife as someone of a different language. With this handy little guide, you are one step closer to becoming multilingual. The key to Farber's great success is his approach. He does not allow for the boring grammar lessons that so many are plagued with in high school, but instead encourages The System, an approach full of different ways of learning. This structure includes audio recordings, flash cards, grammar books, lesson books, dictionaries, newspapers in the native language, and even unrehearsed interaction with someone in your target language. With the system Barry presents, the reader is easily able to forget about what others think and set their own goals for language learning as Barry has. Sure he isn't fluent in all 25 languages, but he's getting there and can carry on conversation with native speakers. Isn't that what most people want? The greatest idea to come from this book is the utilization of "hidden moments." Although it seems so obvious, almost no one does it. He encourages taking flash cards or a phrase book with you at all times so that when you're stuck in line somewhere, at the post office for example, you have something to do with that time. The time won't be wasted and you'll be one step closer to learning your target language. I've incorporated this idea myself and have seen significant results in my sentence structure and understanding of phrases alone. All Barry wishes is for you to learn one word. My two favorite parts of this book are his life story and the language reviews. These come nicely at the beginning and at the end of the book respectfully. This allows for a personalized experience of something real to relate to. His life story tells of his troubles in the boring Latin classes of high school, meeting Chinese soldiers in WWII, his sheer teenage fun with Norwegian, to smuggling Hungarians into Austria, and everything in between. He brings about average moments of meeting foreigners where instead of ignoring them or being to shy to converse, he leaped right in and capitalized on the experience gaining knowledge. If you don't know whether a certain language that you wish to learn will be too difficult, refer to the language reviews toward the end of the book. These give a perfect synopsis of what you'll be up against and whether or not the language is right for you. Overall this is a solid book. It's extremely easy to read and follow. It's actually even good to have to refer back to, whether it's the entertaining stories or just The System. I recommend it to anyone who wishes to learn a language, especially those who're learning in the classroom.

Excellent!

I picked this book up because I have recently started to study Japanese, and I didn't know where to begin. This book gave me the insights and practical suggestions that I needed to get moving.Barry Farber begins by describing his own journey as a language learner. As you read about Mr. Farber's transition from a child with an interest in languages to an adult who can communicate in more than twenty-five tongues, you can't help but catch a bit of the author's infectious enthusiasm. Farber's love of the topic is obvious-and he wants the reader to love languages as well.He then explains some practical methods for learning languages. Some of Farber's methods are arguably common sense, but some others are truly ingenious. I have been particularly aided by the Harnessing Hidden Moments method and the Magical Memory System.Farber also gives readers a whirlwind tour of the world's major languages. These language reviews, as the author calls them, will without a doubt be helpful for readers who want to learn a language, but are still trying to choose between the many possible choices out there.When you are done with Mr. Farber's book, I would also recommend Graham Fuller's "How to Learn a Foreign Language," and Edward Trimnell's "Why You Need a Foreign Language and How to Learn One." A.G. Hawke's book about language learning is also worth your time.Follow Farber's advice and you will find that learning a foreign language CAN in fact be painless, and even enjoyable.

In Plain English about learning a foreign language!

This book changed my thinking. I was one of those people who would have loved to learn another language.....BUT....after two years of high school spanish (I retained very little), I began to go around muttering, "Well, Id like to learn a language, but I just aint very good at it (my high school language grades proved that)....and dont have the discipline to do all that memorization". Barry points out in the book a variety of language learning techniques other than just drilling into your memory a new vocabulary. These techniques are why other nations have greater success in language training compared to the U.S.'s educational methods! I now enjoy learning languages (in part because of this books and others) and actually think Im pretty good at it!

If you want to learn a language...

then this book will be your best source of inspiration, guidance, and encouragement. Farber's masterpiece will clue you in on the best techniques to learn any language, and, unlike other books of this kind, it actually promotes self-study. In truth, no one needs to take a class to learn a language. Just follow the simple, straightforward instructions, put in a little elbow grease, and you'll be well on your way to learning any language.The book is divided into three parts: Part I is a lengthy (but very enjoyable) presentation of Farber's own story (and how he came to speak over 18 languages); Part II is the meat of the book, the actual system. This section contains the raw information needed to be successful at learning any language, which Farber himself concedes is the end result of years of poor decision-making, coupled with some very insightful (and at times accidental) choices, in the end distilled into the most helpful techniques. While some would claim that nothing here is revolutionary, I would like to add that nothing here hurts either! It's often important to find reinforcement of one's own arrived-upon ideas, and also to receive a new perspective on why something is the way it is. Part III is a small group of appendixes that mention the now unheard of (I can't find it!) Language Club in New York City, a list of the world's major languages, and also Farber's own notes (reviews, really) on the major languages (European and Asian).If you've read this far, please do yourself a favor and get this book. The only reason I've cared to write so much about this book is because it really meant a lot to me to find this book when I was debating whether or not to spend the time, energy, and money to learn another language. I hope this book will help guide you to your destination, just as it's helped guide me to mine. Good luck!

The "whys" have it!

I first picked up this book two months before I came here to Japan. That was ten years ago. Of the various books I've looked at that try to teach you how to learn a language, this one stands out from the rest for the sheer enthusiasm that Mr. Farber shares with the reader. His techniques are sound, and his recommendations are effective, but it's his expression of the sheer joy of learning languages that oozes out of every page of this book that gives it a permanent place on my shelf. Techniques are useful only as long as the motivation of the learner is strong. This book gives me a "boost to the head" every time I pick it up! In fact I once found to my horror that I had somehow lost my copy, and I found myself rushing out and buying another one. (After which the first one of course showed up in plain sight...) So if I can have two copies, you should have at least one! (: Seriously though, I really recommend this book to everyone who has an urge or a need to learn a foreign language - no hesitation.Someone once said that if you have a good enough "why" for what you do, you can deal with almost any "how." Faber gives you a book full of "whys," and a toybox full of pretty good "hows" while he's at it. Now after ten years of Japanese, I'm beginning to look lustfully at Korean and Chinese... Somebody stop me...!