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We are proudly announcing our new book "Effective Language Learning", to be published on August 2nd 2010. Pre-Publication orders will be taken from the 1st of June! Order now for a 25% discount off the retail price! Purchase
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Introduction How do I coose a language? Getting the tools Getting the time Accelerated Learning Techniques Learning Planning Motivation Grammatical Terms Without Translations Self-Immersion Training the Ear and Tongue Bringing it all together
1. Language Learning
Who is this book for?The purpose of this book is to help you to learn a language faster and cheaper. It isn't going to teach you any specific language but rather to give you tips, tricks, and methods for accelerating your language learning. While you can use the information contained in this book to learn a language by yourself, it is primarily designed to supplement a course or tutor. This book is directed to people that don't have a ``love of language'' and a ``desire to read a famous author in his own language'' or anything similar. It is for people who need to learn another language for whatever reason and want to do it in the fastest, cheapest and most efficient way possible. There isn't any magic method of learning a language in a week, month, or day regardless of what some advertisers would have you believe. You'll often see a box of tapes with ``Italian in 24 hours'' or some similar claim on the label. Don't believe it because learning a language takes time, effort and money, but this book will help you to reduce expenditure and effort so you can enjoy the benefits quicker. It is quite common for people to hire a personal trainer when they want to get fitter or lose weight. You can think of this book as your personal language trainer. You will use it to discover various exercises to help you learn, and to plan a complete training plan. Unlike a personal trainer this book will save you a lot of money and time. The system set out here will help you to avoid expensive items and show you how you can get learning material and methods using that modern wonder of the Internet. The techniques included in this book assume that you are either attending a class or have a tutor with whom you meet on a regular basis. You can use the methods described here to learn completely by yourself, however you will struggle with things such as pronunciation or idioms that a teacher or tutor could clear up for you easily. So what will this book teach you? Most successful language learners have used some or all of the techniques that we'll cover in this book. These are for the most part easy and cheap, but some will appeal more to you than others. When you are learning a language and using the methods in this book you need to remember that language learning is supposed to be fun and enjoyable. So if one of the methods is difficult or boring for you then feel free to drop it from your personal programme. You'll be shown the various techniques and strategies for accelerating your aquisition of a second language. You'll learn how to discover free or low cost tools to help learn the language off the Internet and elsewhere. You'll discover a number of open source and free computer applications or public domain material you can use for learning. Learning another language is almost entirely down to your motivation and willpower. Contrary to the advertisements put out by people trying to sell language courses learning a language is hard work. You will have to put in the mental sweat if you want to reap the rewards. This book is primarily about ``self-directed'' learning. Self-directed learning means that the individual takes the initiative and the responsibility for what they learn. You'll learn how to select, manage, and assess your own learning activities, which can be pursued at any time, in any place, through any means, at any age. A person with average ability and adequate motivation who uses the techniques shown here should have a sufficient grounding in the language to carry off most conversations. Two years with these methods should let you be fluent enough to speak and understand with a high degree of accuracy. These methods are not difficult or obscure, but a question that crops up again and again is always the same.
How long and how much?There are a lot of factors that influence the speed that you can learn a language such as what your first language is, the language you have selected, how much time you devote, and how much material you have to study. ``How long will it take to learn a language?'', is the question that everyone asks, but unfortunately it is the same as ``How long is a piece of string?''; the answer is ``It depends''. The most important factor is the motivation you have to learn, and how long that motivation lasts. This book should assist you to cut down the time it takes to learn a language by about 25-50% by showing you the best method of language learning without the need for trial and error. Let me review with you my own goals when I started learning a language. I set my initial goal with Italian as specific and measurably as I could. My goal was to be able to hold a conversation with an Italian speaker for 10 minutes. Now this may sound like a really easy goal. Seems like you could do that in about a week, but it isn't that easy. The reason is that this goal was to have a conversation with someone not just exchange pleasantries like ``Hello'' and ``What is your name?'' My goal was to hold a conversation on a topic like you might have with your colleagues at work. Think back to the last time you went out with a friend for a coffee or a drink at the pub. You spoke for 10 minutes at least, but do you think you could hold the same conversation in a different language without knowing a great deal of the language first? You probably didn't bother with lots of pleasantries, nor ask questions about train times, or rooms available. You had a meaningful discourse about a subject you were both interested in. There really is no definitive definition of fluency, but as a rule of thumb fluency is to be able to use the language in a fluid manner without slowing and halting. For me a typical pub conversation, talking back and forth with a friend, would be fluency. You can reach this level of fluency by immersion in the culture and language for about six months. I believe that this is simply a function of compression. I think that if you can move to another country and learn that level of fluency, then I should be able to do the same with the same amount of time. My reasoning is that in six months of immersion you would be awake for 16 hours and be exposed to or using the language. This translates to a total of 2,912 hours of language practice. Therefore if I did 2,912 hours of language practice I should hit the same level. So how long would it take to learn the language? Some estimates are in the table below based on doing almost 3000 hours of practice.
You can see why a few hours with a language CD in your car isn't going to make you fluent. Obviously the more effort put in the quicker you'll learn. Of course this basic mathematics doesn't take into account lots of other factors like your general aptitude with learning, or availability of materials, your previous experience or how closely related your language is to the target language. For example an Italian isn't going to have much problem learning Spanish since they are very similar languages. More difficult would be an English speaker learning Chinese. Another problem with this basic formula is that time spent concurrently, i.e. one hour after another, will reduce the effort because humans have a tendency to forget things they don't use. The longer the time between sessions the more likely you are to forget what you learnt previously. You have to move things into your long term memory, so frequent repetition is the key. In the table HrsStudy I estimated 56 years to learn a language if you only did an hour a week. But it would probably be longer because in the intervening six days you'll have forgotten and have to review. So you are losing some of that time to remind yourself If you are working for two hours a day then what will happen is that the second hour becomes more like an hour and a half of learning. You get into the ``flow'' and you just keep building on the work before. Then by coming back the next day your review time is much less than someone who has not looked at the material in a week. In order to make the most progress you shouldn't ever let yourself have more than one day off in a row. I hold that in order for you to speak fluidly without halting or stopping for blocks of ten minutes or longer you will require about 2,500 hours of practice. How you slice up that amount of time is up to you.
How much is this going to cost?Let's assume that like me you aren't willing to spend thousands of pounds learning another language. I'm also going to assume that you have access to a computer and the Internet, as well as some way to watch films and listen to recordings. I'll show you how to gather materials and tools for learning your chosen language that will cost nothing or less than the price of a book or film, between £12 and £25 typically. It is a good idea to look around before spending any money because often you can get things for free. People discard language materials like old gym equipment because the New Year resolution didn't make it past the end of January. I estimate that in actual cash if you employ a tutor or take a class, purchase a couple of books, some CDs or films then you are probably looking at spending about £1,600 per year. A resident course in Italy to learn Italian was quoted at € 3,780 or £3,300. So £1,600 isn't that bad, but if you look around and work with what I show you then you can pull that down to around £500 or less. You can get some materials for nothing and you can get people that will help you for free, but you will learn faster if you have consistent help. So paying for a tutor or attending a class will help.
So why should I learn a language?I have left this to the last of the Introduction, since if you have picked up this book then chances are you already know why you want to learn a language. But perhaps it might reinforce your motivation to get some of the reasons for learning a language in the first place.
Travel:If you want to get out and explore a foreign country then knowing how to speak the local language will allow you to roam freely. You are not tied to the hotel or tourist spots that have a friendly bilingual person to speak to you.
Learn your first language better:Frequently learning another language forces you to learn your own language better. More specifically this tends to be grammar usage.
Business and careers:Speaking more than one language will increase your marketability. Employers tend to prefer candidates who speak one or more languages. You might also be interested in work that requires language skills such as translators, teachers, or holiday representatives.
Knowledge:Learning a foreign language can help to increase problem-solving skills, memory, and self-discipline.
Friends:This is the best reason there is. Personally I have found that my attempts to learn other languages met with great enthusiasm from native speakers and I have made a number of great friends who have helped me on my journey to learn their language. I have met with my ``audio pen pal'', a lady from Rome, who helped me with my Italian and her friends when they visited London. It was wonderful to make friends with a person whose background and culture were so completely different from mine. I have established much better relationships with my neighbours, one of whom is French and another Italian, and discovered along the way that about half my street is bilingual in all manner of languages; French, Italian, German, Arabic and that I was really the exception to the rule! Let's look at one example of the potential new friends available to a bilingual person. There are an estimated 75 to 80 million French speakers in the world. This is another 75 million people that you could have the ability to communicate with if you spoke French. It has been said that if you can speak English and Mandarin then you can speak to 70% of the people who live on this planet today. So, if for no other reason than to reach out and make a new friend, it is well worth learning a new language and with the help of this book, you will suceed.
Authors experienceAt the time of this writing I am learning two other languages, French and Italian. Please note that I didn't say ``I have learnt'' because in reality you can't ever know everything there is to know about a language. I'm a native English speaker and yet I learn new English words all the time. I decided to learn Italian because I booked a trip to Italy with my wife for our anniversary and I thought I would learn the lingo so that I could chat with the natives. I bought myself a book which should have had me speaking like Dante in less than a month. You can imagine the cover, ``Italian in 30 days''. I didn't learn Italian in 30 days in case you were wondering. I did manage to ask a fellow where my hotel was but was hopelessly lost when he gave directions in rapid fire Italian. This is one reason I really don't believe in learning by rote stock phrases unless the answer is a simple yes or no. You have to be able to comprehend the answer. I struggled on for five or six years trying to learn Italian and never getting past simple three word sentences. Then I decided that what I needed wasn't more ``Learn Italian in 30 days'' or more audio tapes with a little book. What I needed was a method for learning a language. The method I developed is outlined for you in this book, and part of that method is to hire a tutor or take a class. My Italian really shot forward when I hired a tutor. Now you're probably thinking ``Hire a tutor! Spend money! I knew this no cost thing was too good to be true'' but remember the techniques here are to support and accelerate your learning with a class or tutor. At the end of the day you will need someone to correct your mistakes and to help with pronunciation. It is possible you could find someone willing to be your tutor for free. Perhaps you can do a language exchange to assist them with English? This is what I did with a pen-pal. With an hour a week with a native speaker, and a used textbook I bought off a famous Internet bookshop for £2.20 my language skills sky-rocketed. My learning rate quadrupled in the first two months. Then I found a ``pen pal'' in Italy via a website on the Internet and used some Internet phone software to speak to them for free. They spoke to me in English (so I could correct them) and I replied in Italian. French was a different kettle of fish. I have never had any desire to learn French, although it turned out easier in some ways to learn than Italian. I got a job with a company that was predominantly managed by French people. My boss was French, and about 30% of the other managers were also French. Learning French in this environment had rather obvious advantages, but also frequent travel to France was also a factor. I decided to learn a language that I didn't like, and which I had no particular motivation toward. Having struggled with Italian I knew immediately what not to do if I wanted to learn French as fast as possible. I didn't buy cheap ``Learn French in 30 days'' books and cassettes, I didn't buy a CD and sit in the car hoping that it would all sink in via osmosis. I started in on my language learning within a week of starting the job, using all the methods I had discovered previously and will share with you in this book. Learning French for me was much quicker than Italian. I would like to say it was because I took a year of French in high school but it wasn't. Apologies to my French teacher but the only thing I learnt in that class was how to say ``cheese omelet'' and ``snails''. Imagine my children's dismay when I told them the only food I would be able to order for them on a French holiday was a snail omelet with cheese! They marched immediately to their French teacher and found out the words for cheeseburger, pizza, and chips. Learning French for me was quicker due to a couple of factors.
Many people assert that it is easier to learn a third or subsequent languages, even if the languages are not similar, the techniques for learning them are. I'm confident that you too can learn any language that you want. If you still haven't decided which language to learn we'll explore that in the next chapter.
2. How do I choose a language?
In 2009 it was estimated that there are 6,909 living human languages. These are broken into 128 families of languages, with English being in the Indo-European family.
What language to choose?If you are learning a language purely out of an interest in language learning then you may want to consider a language that has the most speakers. There are 172 languages with more than 3 million speakers but the top ten are:
Which language is best?When people ask what is the ``best language'' they generally mean which language is easiest to learn, or which one is the most used. There really isn't a language that fits ``best''. If we define best language as ``most used'' then using the listing of the top 20 languages most spoken is probably the closest thing to a best language list. If your target language isn't in the top 10 then you may have difficulty getting sufficient material. This was the problem I encountered with Italian and it is a member of the top 20 most spoken languages. The problem wasn't so much in writing or hearing, but rather in finding a native speaker who could correct my pronounciation. The best choice for a language is a language in which you have a high degree of interest. This will depend on many factors but primarily take into consideration:
Do give the language a chance first however, it is always hardest at the beginning and it will get easier as you go along. If you have dropped two languages and have decided on a third, then use the three time loser law and stick with this one. You may doubt that you have the ability to learn a language, but it is highly unlikely that this is true. While it may take longer for you, or more deligent practice, you do have the ability to learn a language. After all, you learned English didn't you?
Which language is the easiest?Well this question can be answered in many different ways, however the U.S. State Department gives the best categorisation and most others follow their recommendations. The State Department groups languages for the diplomatic service according to learning difficulty. These categories are used by the Foreign Service Institute (FSI) for training American diplomats and other professionals from the State Department and the military. According to the categorisation of the U.S. Government there are three language types.
Category 1:The least difficult languages for speakers of English, requiring 600 hours of class work for minimal proficiency. These include; French, Italian, Spanish.
Category 2:Medium difficulty, requiring 1100 hours of class work. These include; Russian, Polish, Hebrew.
Category 3:Difficult, requiring 2200 hours of study. These include; Chinese, Korean, Arabic.
You may notice that in the State Department's third category the amount of hours is the same amount as indicated previously in the table HrsStudy for all languages. First note that they are talking about ``minimal proficiency'', this might not meet the goal of a pub conversation. When the FSI are talking about hours of classroom study they actually mean continuous study. They are not talking about intermittently one or two hours per week, the FSI are for the most part sending people on courses of full-time study. This seven hours of classroom work per day means that they aren't forgetting and relearning like someone who is only studying a few hours a week. If you are like me then you will not have the luxury of full days/weeks of study. FSI students study in small classes of six and for eight hours a day five days a week, which is hard to match if you are only taking a class at your local college. However if you are able to take a residential course then you'll see a huge reduction in the time required. Each language will present you with different challenges. Some languages have genders for words. Both French and Italian for example have male and female words. In English all words are neutral as far as gender goes, but German has male, female and a neutral gender. Some languages have declensions. In English we have a declension for blond(e) when spelling based on the gender of the subject; Sally is blonde, John is blond. English has a declension based on the number of items; Book or Books. Other languages might have irregular spellings, and/or unfamilar phonemes. A phoneme is the smallest unit of speech that serves to distinguish one utterance from another. The more a language differs from your first language then the harder it is to learn. Again we turn to the FSI for some kind of breakdown for our language learning statistics. As mentioned previously the FSI list the least difficult languages for an English speaker. The full list is as follows:
Learning alone you will not have other students to practice with, nor regular time slots and homework that motivate you to study. Don't despair; given sufficient motivation any language can be easy. Although you are saving money on the costs of a protracted course, you will still have to put in the hours. A sort of ``sweat equity'' for the brain.
Which language is for me?Choosing a language to learn for some people is a very simple decision. They have met someone from a different country and wish to speak with them. Or they have travel plans to the target country and language, or they have to learn it for work. For others there is simply a general interest in language and they want to put themselves to the task of learning a language. It is to these people that this section is directed. First you need to consider these factors:
Materials:Materials are the books, CD's, films, classes, tutors that you will use to learn the language. Are there classes in your area that you can take? For popular languages like French or Spanish this will most likely be the case but if you have decided that you are going to learn Manx and you don't live on the Isle of Man then finding material will be a challenge. The Internet provides vast amounts of material for you to use especially with a language that has a large user base. Even more obscure languages if they are in modern use will typically have an online newspaper or other websites that you can gather material from. In addition there are online radio and television stations that broadcast in French, German, Italian, and many others. The Internet even has a huge pool of materials for ``constructed'' or man-made languages like Esperanto, Klingon, Interlingua and others.
Usefulness:The usefulness of a language is of course an arbitrary decision. It really means how much use you will be able to get out of the language once learnt. For example if you travel to France six or eight times a year then the usefulness of French to you would be very high. Usefulness can also be determined by the number of people who speak it. You are unlikely to come across a person who speaks Manx while on a business trip to France, however you're quite likely to find an Italian speaker. While travelling on business to France the company I visited sent someone to pick me up from the airport which was an hour away from their factory. This person spoke French and at the time I spoke none, so the drive was a long and uncomfortable silence. On the return leg the same man picked me up to return to the airport and I was dreading the silence. He said something to me, I suppose to break the silence, and without thinking I replied in Italian. He repeated his question again in Italian! He spoke Italian and French, so we managed a lovely conversation about the French Alps in Italian on the way back to the Airport. If your language selection is influenced by the number of speakers then you might want to concentrate on languages such as French, Spanish, Russian, Arabic, Chinese (Mandarin), German, Japanese, Portuguese and Hindi/Urdu. If you live in Europe then French may be more useful than Spanish, but if you are in the USA then Spanish is more likely to be of greater use since more people in the Americas speak Spanish than speak French.
Time:This factor is quite important for you to consider. How much time will you have to dedicate to study? If you have less time then eliminate the ones that the FSI have categorised as difficult and narrow your selection to one that is listed as easier, i.e. takes less time to learn for an English speaker. Language learning is a factor of the time you put in. Like golf, snooker or any other sport if you want to be good at it then you'll have to log the hours of practice.
Motivation:What is motivation? It is a willingness of action especially in behaviour. It comes from the Latin word ``moveo'' which means to move or to stir. To learn a language you need motivation to keep you going and not just in the short term but in the longer term as well. I have not, nor will I say that learning a language is effortless. I have consistently said that it will take time and effort on your part. Anything worth doing will always take some effort. You aren't going to walk out the door and run a marathon without training, nor are you going to learn a language without putting in the effort, but with sufficient time and motivation you will learn. So before you pick a language review your motivation for learning it and work out if that motivation will last for the 2000+ hours of study that you are going to have to put in. If not perhaps you need to think of more motivating factors for learning it. It might even be useful to write all those reasons down so you can review them later. Motivation is a huge factor in your success and so there is an entire chapter dedicated to motivation.
3. Getting the tools
What tools do you need to learn a language?The primary requirement is time to study and we'll consider this in detail later but for now we'll concentrate on the list of physical things you're going to need to get your hands on:
Tutor or Language Class or Native speaker:If you really want your pronunciation to be good then having correction from either a native speaker or a teacher is a must. In my opinion a regular session with a tutor is best since it is one-on-one and lessons can be structured around your speed, abilities and interests. A course is the second best solution since this again is regular time allotted with materials and homework assigned. For a major language a class should be relatively easy to find and a trip to the local library will probably turn up a result. A tutor might be more difficult; however often a posting in a bookshop that has books in your target language or in the want ads of your local paper will help. You might also check an embassy or consulate in your area, or a local university language department.
Just having a native speaker to correct your pronunciation is excellent
and will help you, but since it is likely to be more erratic than
a scheduled course, or working with a paid tutor, it is my third option.
You can use the Internet to find people that will act as ``Pen
Pals'' or help you by speaking to you via Skype You need to take saftey precautions when speaking to or potentially meeting strangers. This applies regardless of where you meet them or who recommended them. If you are meeting a tutor in person and they are unknown to you, it would be best if you could find a friend to accompany you. If you friend is also interested in learning the language this would greatly enhance your motivation!
Dictionary:Now this is a resource where you do not want to skimp and save. You'll be spending a lot of time with your dictionary so make sure you get a good one. You might however want to start with a small cheap dictionary until you have made some progress before spending money on a more complete version. In the first two or three months it will be unlikely that you will surpass the capabilities of a smaller dictionary. The real decision to be made is if you are going to get a monolingual dictionary, which is a dictionary with only one language in it, or a translation dictionary which has the target language with translations into English. Translation dictionaries are available at a fairly low cost and translate words in both directions, from your native language to target, and from target to native. You can pick these up frequently in charity shops for a pittance. But some of the best dictionaries are available for free and have huge databases of words. These are located online and if you are using a computer nothing could be quicker or more convenient. It might be that you decide to use the online dictionary as your primary source and just pick up one of the small travelling dictionaries as a book to carry. I have found the dictionary at Word Reference3.2 very useful. They have a number of languages there, but not obscure languages. You might decide when you are more proficient at a language you'll want to purchase a monolingual dictionary. You'll use this in the last stages of learning to gain fluency and to see how the natives define the word, because as you already know, a word can have lots of different meanings. You might also decide to use it from the start to gain more input and puzzle out meanings.
Two books in target language:The minimum amount of books you should get is two. Get books you would like to read and avoid childrens books. If you like mystery fiction, buy a mystery novel, if you like science fiction get science fiction. As you progress you'll want to get more. Any book in the target language is helpful and it doesn't really matter if it is fiction or non-fiction. There are some guidelines that you need to follow when getting these books;
Project Gutenberg have some ``readers'' in languages like French that are simple stories with uncomplicated grammar. You will need to print out a book to use this method, and you might need to relax the rule about the book being published within the last 25-50 years, since they publish books that have no copyright restrictions remaining. You'll need to avoid the classics where possible simply because the language they use is archaic and you are trying to learn the modern version. Books are the primary means of getting ``perfect input''. Perfect input is the correct formation of sentences, correct spelling, etc. Books are published, proofread, and copy-edited therefore they should give you a more consistent and correct view of the language. Books are also available whenever you want. Unlike classes or tutors a book is handy at three in the morning when you can't sleep, or on the train commuting into work. They can be used for hours, minutes, or just a few seconds without any additional cost or hassle. They are your best friends when you want to learn a language. I have said get two books, but really get as many as you can, with at least two to start with.
Index Cards:These are sometimes called ``record cards'' and they are used to generate flashcards. You can use electronic ones on your PDA, but trust me, paper is much better for this purpose. Simple and easy to use, they fit into your pocket and can be shuffled and replaced as required. The no cost option is to make them yourself from paper, but considering that you can buy a pack of 100 index cards for about £1 it really doesn't seem worth the bother. Index cards you buy from the shops also have standard sizes so if you want you can put them into a printer and print out the cards. This is useful if you wanted to make cards that have pictures on one side with the foreign word on the back.
Phrase Book:Depending on the popularity of your target language these books are either easy to find or well nigh impossible, there doesn't seem to be any in-between. However assuming you have picked one of the top 20 languages it shouldn't be difficult to lay your hands on one of these. Phrase books are commonly used by travellers to a country when they don't want to learn the language, but just get enough words and phrases to get by. Another use for this book to memorise some phrases verbatim. But one of the greatest attributes of a phrase book is the pronunciation guidelines that they come with.
Language Tapes:Language tapes are a must for starting to learn the language. If you don't have a class or tutor and are learning on your own then they are more an absolute. I recommend that you purchase a set that has at least 25 to 100 tapes if your buying cassettes or 5-10 CDs. You will need as many good language tapes as possible. Do not waste money on courses that claim to teach you how to speak a language but have less than 8 hours of audio recordings. Twenty or more hours of audio is best. There is a major drawback with language tapes; these types of programs are expensive! Typical costs run into the hundreds of pounds for a good set of tapes or CD's. There is however the possibility you can pickup one of the worlds best set of language tapes for free. The very best sets of courses for many languages are available for free and are in the public domain and were created by the FSI, the same government department we talked about earlier. The U.S. copyright rules state that works of the U.S. government, that are produced by government employees acting within their duties, are not eligible for copyright protection. This means that all the language courses the FSI have done are free to use! They are in the public domain and can be re-worked, re-recorded, copied anything you want. The difficulty however is that although the U.S. government doesn't restrict your copying or making the material available, they just will not give it to you. You have to find it or have been on a course through the FSI. A number of public spirited people have scanned and converted their tapes and books into PDF files and MP3 files that you can download off the Internet at the FSI Language Course Page3.4. The courses available are not the entire catalogue of courses the FSI has ever created; only the amount that volunteers have provided. But still this is an impressive collection of language learning that is freely available to you. At the time of this writing there were 39 courses including:
If you are unable to find an FSI course, or it doesn't have sufficient coverage, then try to find a course by Pimsleur. If either of those options fail, then find one that has as much audio as possible. If your language isn't covered by any of the major course makers don't despair, people have learnt languages long before audio tapes were invented and will continue to learn without them in the future.
Textbook:Even if you are learning on your own it is very useful to purchase a textbook. This is because they have lessons with exercises. Doing the exercises will help you reinforce what you learn through writing and memory retrieval while you are working your way through the book. Textbooks are obviously geared toward the learner introducing concepts slowly and at a good pace. If you cannot find a printed version for your language, or you are trying not to spend a great deal of money then I would recommend you look at the WikiBooks3.5 website. WikiBooks is an ``open-content'' textbook collection. Textbooks are written by volunteers online and there are a large number of readily available books on many different topics. There is an entire section in the humanities for foreign language and at last count about sixty textbooks on languages including Manx, Polish, Hindi, Korean, Persian and Zulu, of varying quality and length.
Grammar Book:The thing everyone loves to hate is grammar, but in fact it really is just the blueprint for the language. It tells you how the whole language hangs together. Using this method you'll not be learning grammar by rote but simply becoming aware of it and then seeing it in action. Remember that grammar is a key component in language study. The good news is that grammar books are available at a fairly low cost for most languages. For our purposes you will not need anything more than a basic grammar book. The type that Collins publishes at a cost of around £5.00 is more than sufficient. There are some no-cost options that might also be available to you. In the UK some county libraries give access to an online library system called EBray3.6. Ebray have an amazing variety of books that are available for online reading. These are normal books that have been scanned in and are available in their entirety for your use. I have used the system to find grammar books for both French and Italian. Further on we will do a short review section on grammar that will teach you the basics. Grammar isn't any more scary than learning to read a map and just as useful.
Sometimes it is free.The following are some specific suggestions for finding the required items at low or no cost:
Sharing the materials after you're done allows other people the opportunity to learn, and could potentially let you swap for even more things for yourself!
Sometimes you have to pay.Unfortunately you are not always going to be able to find language instruction material for free, especially if you are learning a lesser used or more obscure language. In this case I would suggest you use the Internet to research the various paid options that are available to you. Check out user and magazine reviews. Reviews on sites like Amazon3.13 are particularly useful since this is feedback from people that have attempted to do the same as you. Whenever you buy a book don't spend so much money on it that you are afraid to write in it. You will want to make notes, underline or highlight parts of the book.
Having done your research please don't rush straight
out and buy a copy from a retailer. Have a look in second-hand shops,
online auctions or any-place where you can get it for less than retail.
Like all those used treadmills that get advertised in your local paper,
there will be lots of people that either tried and failed or tried
and succeeded to learn a language but either way no longer want their
books.
Footnotes
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