"He who does not know foreign languages does not know anything about his own."
The Complete Guide To Learning A Language - by Gill James
A Book Review by DJ Meincke
Paperback: 160 pages
Publisher: How to Books (August 2003)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1857039033
ISBN-13: 978-1857039030
Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.3 x 0.7 inches
The Complete Guide to Learning a Language is an overview of how to move through the language learning process from the beginning to – well, there really is no end, is there? While it is called “complete”, it appears to be more for the out-of-school adult; also, when I say “from the beginning,” I mean it. But then, it appears that this is a book written from the author’s personal teaching and private tutoring experience with helping adult learners to pursue their goals with realistic expectations of progress and work required.
The book starts out with asking the reader to list the reasons to learn a foreign language. It was refreshing to read that the author does not consider it to be a good reason if a company requires an employee to learn foreign language skills. Those of us who have tutored people forced to learn a foreign language know that this is as enjoyable as washing windows. This section of the book is extremely useful because it will focus the reader to consider and rank all of the reasons for learning another language. Succeeding at learning a language is a l-o-n-g term commitment. This section will help in setting up the motivation to pursue it.
Another early section is useful in laying out all of the possible learning options for adult learners. The author lists tutoring, continuing education, language schools, and others. This list is relevant for England, but it would be useful in any country. She successfully points out the benefits and disadvantages of each type. This method might be tedious for people who like to make emotional decisions from the heart, but how to learn a language is not to be made on a whim or on hearing an off-hand comment from a neighbor.
The book, which was published in 2003, is a little behind on how technology has developed to help the foreign language learner. The book mentions cassettes and CD’s, but not mp3s and ipods. It mentions the internet, but not portable talking dictionaries. However, learning a foreign language is not a solitary activity and one’s teacher and fellow students can fill in the technology gaps.
While the book is full of tips to pick up a language, most seem to be geared for a person who learns by reading or doing. The author lists many techniques recording new words in plain notebooks, special notebooks, computers, file cards and other methods. She is also a big fan of mind maps (the phrase is used at least 39 times in the book). Looking at her website (http://www.gilljames.co.uk/links.html), she is an author of many books, so the writing process is important to her.
This brings up the point of learning a foreign language in a way that suits the student’s learning style. This is not discussed in the book but should be considered by any prospective student. Learning styles differ and can be broken down into three types: Reading, Doing, and Listening. The author, and many teachers, seems to lean to the Reading/Doing style. This includes list making, writing, reading outside material, and observing signs and notices. However, the book has only one mention of television and movies as a source of learning a language. She is also very organized and methodical. Personally, she fits my learning style so I would have great success with her. But, if you are a person that learns more from listening, this book has some advice but it is not complete. The author’s suggestions about reading magazines and websites is not as valuable to the Listener as is her advice about getting a study partner to practice speaking. Also, listeners can learn from language CD’s, songs and movies with subtitles.
The author is a full supporter of going to where the language is natively spoken. This book has a wealth of information on the different ways to do it, from vacations to home stays. Additionally, the book is great at preparing the reader for what to expect and how to get ready for it. Some of the book’s advice is to think in advance of the conversations that will occur and practice beforehand.
While reading the book, I had the impression that the author used the book to establish her qualifications as a foreign language teacher in order to get more students. However, the section on going to the foreign country changed my opinion, and now I believe she just wants people to learn. Her tutoring, as understood from her website, does not include immersion vacations. However, the importance and the passion she writes with concerning using your learning and language skills with native speakers is impressive. I was the worst French student in my class (or nearly the worst). After two and a half years, I had problems saying “the cat is in the house.” But, a two week trip to France changed that. I decided to be brave (much like the book suggests) and speak as much as possible. When I returned to school, my snooty (snotty) French teacher asked about the trip. After haltingly speaking about it in English, I stopped and asked if I could talk about it in French as it would be easier for me. With a sneer, he said, doubtfully, of course. So I started talking about how I would get out of the hotel, walk around, buy things, the problems I had, the trouble I got into with the chaperons. One of my friends, who was the best French student, asked me to slow down; I asked “pourquoi?” (why). She said the class couldn’t follow me as I was speaking too fast. Then I realized that the other students’ eyes, and the teacher’s, were wide with astonishment. Sure, my French grammar was a little (a lot) weak, but in two weeks, the book learning came together to make me conversational.
For an adult who is considering options for learning a foreign language, I would recommend this book. It is comprehensive in how to approach learning a language and how to improve language skills. While the internet (and friends) is full of advice, there is more information in this book than can fit on a readable webpage. It is also worthwhile for a current student to read the sections about practicing the language, especially if the student is stalled or bored.