Unlocking A Second Language: A Language Hacking Guide Review

By Mark Spolsky


Writing a Language Hacking Guide review allows for the consideration of a number of factors that make this work such an attractive one. People who love languages, but that have always struggled to learn them, will find in this work a mountain of tips that will finally move them forward. Benny Lewis has produced a fine guide and should be commended.

Lewis is a lover of languages who has made it a point to immerse himself in and learn new languages every three months or so. His book puts forth a wide variety of specially designed tips and helpful hints, many of which are unique to his learning style.

The author focuses his work on a natural immersion process. No one learned his/her original tongue through careful study of vocabulary and grammar. Rather, conversational ability should be picked up organically, through speaking and listening. Thus, the guide does not focus on reading and writing or the academic aspects of grammar and usage. But this is also why it is so useful. It carefully hones in on language as a living entity, to be learned through conversation and not cold exercises.

Beyond specific tips, the guide works great as an encouraging friend. Lewis maintains that those venturing into a new frontier must stay positive no matter what. He is relentless on this point, and it really does work. A good attitude, and an ability to ward off discouragement, is a significant first step in accomplishing any task.

Lewis recommends that the languages in which people are already fluent be left utterly behind (if possible) when learning a new one. This continues the immersion theme. Switching over to languages that one already knows retards the development of the new language. People should use their target languages exclusively, specifically seeking out people who speak it.

Lewis directs his readers to a wide array of free resources that assist in learning languages. Among these are special dictionaries and helpful web pages. He also offers more specific tips, such as avoiding speaking languages one already knows when traveling in different nations, and setting particularly difficult phrases to music so that they are easier to remember.

Any Language Hacking Guide review should recommend the work as an excellent tool with which to set off on a quest for new languages. For those who are most interested in speaking conversationally, the work is an especially important addition to language-themed resources.




About the Author:



0 comments:

Post a Comment