Thank you for promptly sending a copy of your book.  I stumbled upon your promotion on a website called “How to learn any language.com” I was intrigued by your introduction and very eager to read your book.  

I read it today, and as a longtime learner of multiple languages, I felt you so insightfully  hit the nail right on the head in targeting common mistakes and problems in learning languages. I could directly relate to many of the experiences and processes you described, particularly in learning French (the language I’m currently studying and striving to become fluent in) - the frustration and limitations with language classes, private instructors, grammar texts, even some audio programs.  

I took three years of French in high school (a while back), took three semesters of Spanish in college (became significantly more proficient in 3 semesters than in 3 yrs of high school French; after not using it for several years, most of my Spanish has been lost).  After I graduated from undergrad, I attended an intensive Mandarin summer program at my alma mater (Cornell Falcon program) and had a very positive experience, with substantial and longterm results stemming from it. 

I have returned to French and have been doing self-study these past three years.  It is through self-study of French that I have really experiemented with various learning methods, including taking an intermediate level course at the Alliance Française which was fine, but was unfulling for precisely the reasons you described about the limitations of class settings; worked with a few private tutors which I feel also led to minimal progress; and for the most part I’ve listened to a myriad of audio visual materials, read magazines, books, blogs, watched films.  

I have made flash cards the old school way (on paper notecards), but am interested in trying out the computer flashcard program to which you referred.  I definitely agree with the part you discussed about learning vocabulary in context of sentences and learn sentence structure.  I have also frequently come across phrases/expressions/sentence structures I am unfamiliar with (via films and reading material) that I jot down on notecards and in a composition book, but they are not currently organized in any particular fashion.  Do you have any suggestions as to how to organize these phrases/expressions?  

After these past few years of self study I feel that my reading and writing in French has improved significantly, but I’d like to make more significant progress in speaking and listening comprehensive (of native speakers).  I do try to watch and listen to French whenever I can, but am a little shy about speaking (which is the primary reason I sought out private instructors). 

In general though it’s difficult to devote the time and proper discipline studying the language when you’re working full time.  But I do agree that even a little practice on a daily basis is better then going through long gaps without studying and cramming it in later (I try to avoid doing that). I hope to take vacation time from work to do an immersion course this summer in France (in a program that enforces penalty for speaking anything but French).  

It was reassuring to hear you confirm that it is best to keep the learning experience fun and tailored to your own interests as it is easy to lose focus and become frustrated engaging in dry and pedantic methods when studying on your own (leading to less efficient results).  

I did not get a chance to subscribe to your newsletter - may I still do so?

Thank you for sharing your rich experiences with other language enthusiasts, articulating so succinctly the struggles encountered and offering insightful techniques for future progress.  

JDL

My response:

Hi Jennifer,

First, thanks for the kind words about my book and I’m glad that it has helped you already.

You have real experience in seeing that classes and tutors are not the  most effective way to learn a new language. Luckily you have begun to see that self-study in the right way can be one of the quickest ways of achieving fluency. I think you have already become aware that the techniques I describe in my book are going to boost your language studies to fluency very quickly.

To answer your question regarding organizing the phrases and expressions you come across that you want to remember, I highly recommend following my advice that I outline in the book about inputting all of these phrases and expressions into your computer notecard program. This way, the phrases will get shown to you at the right intervals to insure that you will remember them for the long term. Simply write down one expression per “notecard” and input it into the program, the computer will take care of the rest!

If you plan on taking an immersion program in France, be sure to read my article on studying abroad before you go so that you can make the most out of your trip. If you use the method I outline in my book in conjunction with a trip abroad, I think you will find that you will make great progress very quickly.

As for the newsletter, by all means, you can still subscribe! Just go to the Learn That Language Now page and enter your e-mail address in the e-mail box to sign up! Don’t forget to click the link in the confirmation e-mail that will be sent to your e-mail address after you sign up.

Again, thanks for the kind words about my book helping you. As for everyone else, Jennifer definitely outlined some key points in her e-mail about learning languages and is also making great progress towards fluency. If you also want to start making fast progress towards fluency in your language, I recommend doing the same thing Jennifer did and go pick up your own copy of the Learn That Language Now book. It will teach you how to learn thousands of words, master grammar and do it all in a painless manner. Go get your copy today!