The Quick and Dirty Guide to Learning Languages Fast

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Customer Reviews:

Good if you really need to learn a new language fast [Posted on 2007-05-13]
Here's the skinny: If you really need to learn a new language fast, because you will travel somewhere in the next few days, then this is probably a good book to get. Otherwise, you may get it if you can spare the money, and it may teach you something. But don't expect any silver bullet.

The method is very simple and most of the pages are filled with word tables. These are simple tables that you have to fill with translated versions of some essential words in the target language. It's a waste of paper; the book could show the model for the tables, and put the essential words into lists. It's easy to build the tables if you have the lists. Nonetheless, the selection of essential words is a good guide for what to learn first.

The method gives you a direction for a quick start in a language, and is supposed to work for any language. However, some parts of the method may be difficult or impossible to apply if the target language is too different from English. The author admits this is so, and the student may need to adapt the techniques.

There's one sound piece of advice for any language learners, regardless of method: you must immerse yourself in the language and culture you want to learn. Read children's books, newspapers, magazines; watch movies; listen to music; eat the food; all of this connected with the culture associated with the language.

Otherwise, I found it mildly interesting, but don't plan on using the method as I'm not in such a hurry, and becoming merely functional in a language is not my goal at this point. But I think I can incorporate some of the tips and ideas into my own language learning habits.

great book  [Posted on 2007-06-27]
This is for the people who need to know enough to get by in a short period of time. If you are in the military or travel alot it is a must. It also works for any language.

Barely Better Than Nothing [Posted on 2007-09-29]
Having directly taught or directly supervised instruction in exactly thirty languages (at Stanford, Georgetown, US Naval Academy, State U of NY, US Defense Languages Institute, etc), I picked up this book with considerable enthusiasm but found it seriously wanting. Other reviews here have handled some of the details well; I'll direct my comments to just one overriding principle.

This book's structure and method tend to reinforce the unfortunate assumption that, in general, languages consist of pieces interchangeable with the pieces you already know in your own language. This brick-by-brick concept leads to word lists where English is presented in one list of words matched up with the target language's list of words. This reinforces the incorrect feeling that each language is put together with bricks, and you match up your red bricks wih the other language's yellow bricks.

Whereas the reality is that each language presents a different structure. You may think of bricks, but your target language may be frame-stucco or an animal-hide teepee. To understand a teepee, you wouldn't be helped by looking at it and wondering, "Where are the bricks?" As just one example, using two common languages. the American English construction "because I FELT like doing it that way," is very often rendered in Spanish as, "porque sí." How would it help the learner of Spanish to wonder, "Where is the FELT," or "Where is the doing?" The fact is that the Spanish, literally, is just "because yes." But it can often and easily mean "Because I felt like doing it that way."

And yet, despite this very fundamental weakness, this book does offer helpful info of the type to which it's limited.

A Good Jump on Language Acquisition [Posted on 2008-01-19]
I studied French throughout my high school years, only to be released into the wilds, incapable of speaking French. I had to rethink everything I learned about LEARNING. I decided for myself the following: What is important to me? How would I decribe myself to someone, and how do I increase my vocabulary? I wish I'd had this little book. One of the good things about this book is that it has, in English, useful word lists that you can reproduce, although the one deficit is that the pages are small, and trying to write in a non-Latin alphabet or phonetically is difficult, given the space alotted. Better to reproduce the word lists and personalize them on Word.
The word lists do increase your vocabulary acquistion quite quickly, and the applications are endless. This book, of course is not meant to be a study guide in any particular language, but it will get you started in a logical, rapid fashion.

My video review of The Quick and Dirty Guide to Learning Languages Fast [Posted on 2008-09-18]
Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/RW1BPNPSL6S7C This is my video review of The Quick and Dirty Guide to Learning Languages Fast. In this review I cover the strong points and weak points of The Quick and Dirty Guide to Learning Languages Fast. I also tell how I happened to come across this book.

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