Review of The Secret to Learning Any Language
I am very happy to offer this independent review of The Secret to Learning Any Language. It contains the pros and cons and clarifies things in ways that help you understand what the resource is all about.
So, without further ado, …the review.
“Reaction to The Secret to Learning Any Language”
This book has an interesting premise—that whether the reader is enthusiastic about learning or simply needs to learn (for job, promotion, etc.) this book will help. The honesty of addressing the readers’ needs and how best to approach the language from a position of inexperience is repeated throughout the book and lends credibility to its structure.
WHAT I LIKE:
- Down to earth writing style—inviting, non-threatening, supportive!
- Letting the reader measure progress by providing charts, making it concrete, measurable
- Does not discount all approaches to learning—i.e. that every approach has merit, all have flaws….try them out!
- That the book is meant to be used along with, not replacing, a method they might select.
- Great suggestion to create ‘illusion of fluency’ (illusions are good—stepping stone to actual fluency)…memorizing songs, poems, imitating voice cadence, etc.
- Encouraging reader to write out goals and to incorporate rewards as part of the process. Better yet, the author does not simply ask them to write down goals, he shows them how.
- Invitation on the part of the learner to use various learning tools—tapes, radio, tv, interviews, newspapers, etc. —all touching on speaking, listening, reading, absorbing….great!
POTENTIAL PROBLEMS:
- Memorizing phrases (step 1)….. ‘look up how to say it’….BIG problem when dealing with colloquial phrases….potential for memorizing literal translations and be waaaay off…
- Specialized vocab (step 2)….once again, specialized vocabulary can be very tricky… “looking up” a vocabulary word without verifying it with a native speaker may/may not be effective…ideal: check ‘list’ out first, before trying to incorporate them into speech patterns.
(*However, later author does indirectly provide possible solution: find native speaker (step 6) and set up appointments to exchange ½ hour sessions in the mutual languages….perhaps this should be emphasized more in light of potential problem. Without this important checkpoint, serious problems can/will arise.)
- Learning tenses…..same thing—not so much forms but uses of tenses could get the do-it-yourself language learner in trouble…we have only to look at the preterit/imperfect tenses or the subjunctive mood to find that there is not a direct translation from English….learner must acquire a new way of thinking in the past and a whole new ability to express verbs of volition, doubts, subjective projections, etc.
(*I like, however, how in Step 20, the author explains how native speakers learn with no breakdown of tenses and conjunctions—they learn it all at once. As flawed as any attempt is to duplicate natural learning, the author gives the learner a choice and encouragement to acquire a new language—¡bravo!)
My overall impression of the author’s book is that it is positive and refreshing. His suggestions and ideas go far in helping the learner to ‘keep at it’, to eliminate fear, and to seek ways to make the process relevant. His approach carries with it a simplicity that is addictive. His suggestions definitely have a place in traditional teaching as well as in immersion type instruction —both as a source for language teachers to draw on in helping their students reinforce classroom learning and as a guide for the student to continue learning a foreign language on his/her own.
Marilynn Garzione
Classroom Instructor/Spanish
Language Immersion Institute
New Paltz, NY
February 1, 2008
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