Polyglot: How I Learn Languages

Polyglot: How I Learn Languages
Author: Kat— Lomb
Publisher: Lulu.com
Total Pages: 220
Release: 2008-01-01
Genre: Education
ISBN: 1606437062

KAT LOMB (1909-2003) was one of the great polyglots of the 20th century. A translator and one of the first simultaneous interpreters in the world, Lomb worked in 16 languages for state and business concerns in her native Hungary. She achieved further fame by writing books on languages, interpreting, and polyglots. Polyglot: How I Learn Languages, first published in 1970, is a collection of anecdotes and reflections on language learning. Because Dr. Lomb learned her languages as an adult, after getting a PhD in chemistry, the methods she used will be of particular interest to adult learners who want to master a foreign language.

Learning to Read in a New Language

Learning to Read in a New Language
Author: Eve Gregory
Publisher: SAGE
Total Pages: 258
Release: 2008-03-03
Genre: Education
ISBN: 1849204918

′[This book] is a helpful edition to a field where there is a limited amount of good literature to support teachers dealing with second language acquisition in the classroom′ - ESCalate `Gregory′s book is an important and timely contribution to the literature on literacy, biliteracy, second language learning and early childhood education, synthesizing cutting-edge research, perspectives and teaching approaches in a clear and accessible way. Overall, it is a terrific resource′ - Dinah Volk Across the world, an increasing number of young children are learning to read in languages different from their mother tongue, and there is a clear need for a book which addresses the ways in which these children should be taught. Eve Gregory′s book is unique in doing so. Building upon the ideas proposed in Making Sense of a New World, this second edition widens its scope, arguing for the limitations of policies designed for ′monolingual minds′ in favour of methodologies which put plurilingualism at the centre of literacy tuition. This book offers a practical reading programme -- an ′Inside-Out′ (starting from experience) and ′Outside-In′ (starting from literature) approach to teaching which can be used with individuals, small groups and whole classes. It uses current sociocultural theory, while drawing on examples of children from America, Australia, Britain, China, France, Singapore, South Africa and Thailand who are engaged in learning to read nursery rhymes and songs, storybooks, letters, the Bible and the Qur′an as well as school texts, in languages they do not speak fluently. Gregory argues that, in order for literacy tuition to be successful, reading must make sense -- children must feel part of a community of readers. There is no common method which they use to learn, but rather a shared aim to which they aspire: making sense of a new world through new words. Eve Gregory is Professor of Language and Culture in Education at Goldsmiths, University of London.

The Loom of Language

The Loom of Language
Author: Frederick Bodmer
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
Total Pages: 724
Release: 1985
Genre: Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN: 9780393300345

Here is an informative introduction to language: its origins in the past, its growth through history, and its present use for communication between peoples. It is at the same time a history of language, a guide to foreign tongues, and a method for learning them. It shows, through basic vocabularies, family resemblances of languages -- Teutonic, Romance, Greek -- helpful tricks of translation, key combinations of roots and phonetic patterns. It presents by common-sense methods the most helpful approach to the mastery of many languages; it condenses vocabulary to a minimum of essential words; it simplifies grammar in an entirely new way; and it teaches a language as it is actually used in everyday life.

How to Learn a Foreign Language

How to Learn a Foreign Language
Author: Paul Pimsleur
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Total Pages: 160
Release: 2013-10
Genre: Education
ISBN: 1442369027

In this entertaining and groundbreaking book, Dr. Paul Pimsleur, creator of the renowned Pimsleur Method, the world leader in audio-based language learning, shows how anyone can learn to speak a foreign language. If learning a language in high school left you bruised, with a sense that there was no way you can learn another language, How to Learn a Foreign Language will restore your sense of hope. In simple, straightforward terms, Dr. Pimsleur will help you learn grammar (seamlessly), vocabulary, and how to practice pronunciation (and come out sounding like a native). The key is the simplicity and directness of Pimsleur’s approach to a daunting subject, breaking it down piece by piece, demystifying the process along the way. Dr. Pimsleur draws on his own language learning trials and tribulations offering practical advice for overcoming the obstacles so many of us face. Originally published in 1980, How to Learn a Foreign Language is now available on the 50th anniversary of Dr. Pimsleur’s publication of the first of his first audio courses that embodied the concepts and methods found here. It's a fascinating glimpse into the inner workings of the mind of this amazing pioneer of language learning.

Fluent Forever

Fluent Forever
Author: Gabriel Wyner
Publisher: Harmony
Total Pages: 352
Release: 2014-08-05
Genre: Foreign Language Study
ISBN: 038534810X

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • For anyone who wants to learn a foreign language, this is the method that will finally make the words stick. “A brilliant and thoroughly modern guide to learning new languages.”—Gary Marcus, cognitive psychologist and author of the New York Times bestseller Guitar Zero At thirty years old, Gabriel Wyner speaks six languages fluently. He didn’t learn them in school—who does? Rather, he learned them in the past few years, working on his own and practicing on the subway, using simple techniques and free online resources—and here he wants to show others what he’s discovered. Starting with pronunciation, you’ll learn how to rewire your ears and turn foreign sounds into familiar sounds. You’ll retrain your tongue to produce those sounds accurately, using tricks from opera singers and actors. Next, you’ll begin to tackle words, and connect sounds and spellings to imagery rather than translations, which will enable you to think in a foreign language. And with the help of sophisticated spaced-repetition techniques, you’ll be able to memorize hundreds of words a month in minutes every day. This is brain hacking at its most exciting, taking what we know about neuroscience and linguistics and using it to create the most efficient and enjoyable way to learn a foreign language in the spare minutes of your day.

Why You Need a Foreign Language & how to Learn One

Why You Need a Foreign Language & how to Learn One
Author: Edward Trimnell
Publisher: Beechmont Crest Pub
Total Pages: 244
Release: 2005
Genre: Foreign Language Study
ISBN: 9780974833019

"The first half of this book examines the commercial, social, and political implications of American monolingualism. The second half of the book explores the techniques and tools that a working professional can use to acqure functional skills in a new language."--Back cover.

Madrigal's Magic Key to Spanish

Madrigal's Magic Key to Spanish
Author: Margarita Madrigal
Publisher: Crown
Total Pages: 513
Release: 1989-09-01
Genre: Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN: 0385410956

Use the English you already know to quickly learn the basics of Spanish with this unique, accessible guide featuring original illustrations by Andy Warhol—from one of America’s most prominent language teachers. Read, write, and speak Spanish in only a few short weeks! Even the most reluctant learner will be astonished at the ease and effectiveness of Margarita Madrigal’s unique method of teaching a foreign language. Completely eliminating rote memorization and painfully boring drills, Madrigal’s Magic Key to Spanish is guaranteed to help you: • Learn to speak, read, and write Spanish quickly and easily • Convert English into Spanish in an instant • Start forming sentences after the very first lesson • Identify thousands of Spanish words within a few weeks of study • Travel to Spanish-speaking countries with confidence and comfort • Develop perfect pronunciation, thanks to a handy pronunciation key With original black-and-white illustration by Andy Warhol, Madrigal’s Magic Key to Spanish will provide readers with a solid foundation upon which to build their language skills.

The Way of the Linguist

The Way of the Linguist
Author: Steve Kaufmann
Publisher: AuthorHouse
Total Pages: 142
Release: 2005-11
Genre: Linguistics
ISBN: 1420873296

The Way of The Linguist, A language learning odyssey. It is now a cliché that the world is a smaller place. We think nothing of jumping on a plane to travel to another country or continent. The most exotic locations are now destinations for mass tourism. Small business people are dealing across frontiers and language barriers like never before. The Internet brings different languages and cultures to our finger-tips. English, the hybrid language of an island at the western extremity of Europe seems to have an unrivalled position as an international medium of communication. But historically periods of cultural and economic domination have never lasted forever. Do we not lose something by relying on the wide spread use of English rather than discovering other languages and cultures? As citizens of this shrunken world, would we not be better off if we were able to speak a few languages other than our own? The answer is obviously yes. Certainly Steve Kaufmann thinks so, and in his busy life as a diplomat and businessman he managed to learn to speak nine languages fluently and observe first hand some of the dominant cultures of Europe and Asia. Why do not more people do the same? In his book The Way of The Linguist, A language learning odyssey, Steve offers some answers. Steve feels anyone can learn a language if they want to. He points out some of the obstacles that hold people back. Drawing on his adventures in Europe and Asia, as a student and businessman, he describes the rewards that come from knowing languages. He relates his evolution as a language learner, abroad and back in his native Canada and explains the kind of attitude that will enable others to achieve second language fluency. Many people have taken on the challenge of language learning but have been frustrated by their lack of success. This book offers detailed advice on the kind of study practices that will achieve language breakthroughs. Steve has developed a language learning system available online at: www.thelinguist.com.

Fluent in 3 Months

Fluent in 3 Months
Author: Benny Lewis
Publisher: Harper Collins
Total Pages: 156
Release: 2014-03-11
Genre: Education
ISBN: 0062282700

Benny Lewis, who speaks over ten languages—all self-taught—runs the largest language-learning blog in the world, Fluent In 3 Months. Lewis is a full-time "language hacker," someone who devotes all of his time to finding better, faster, and more efficient ways to learn languages. Fluent in 3 Months: How Anyone at Any Age Can Learn to Speak Any Language from Anywhere in the World is a new blueprint for fast language learning. Lewis argues that you don't need a great memory or "the language gene" to learn a language quickly, and debunks a number of long-held beliefs, such as adults not being as good of language learners as children.