Type of bind: Paperback
EAN num: 9780973339406
ISBN number: 0973339403
Label: The Linguist Institute
Manufacturer: The Linguist Institute
Page Count: 146
Printing Date: July 15, 2003
Publishing house: The Linguist Institute
Sale Popularity Level: 663705
Studio: The Linguist Institute
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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 very 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.
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Rated by buyers 
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Have you tried to learn foriegn language? How was it? Are you successful and finally be able to speak fluently? If not, you did it in a wrong way. Here's the answer in the book!
If you want to learn foriegn language and be fluent, just listen and read as much as possible! Of course, you need strong motivation on it. In this way, an author could be fluent in 10 languages. Can't believe? I also experienced that this way works better than any other way of learning language before reading this book. Believe me and this book! It's the best way , at the same time, the only way to be proficient in foriegn language. A.. I'm native Korean and fluent in English without spending money on private academy or any other study materials. Only thing I did was just listen various sources of English video and audio on the web and read books.
Rated by buyers -
I only wish I would have read this book in the begenning of my language studies. It would have helped me overcome some of the barriers of learning a new language sooner. Currently I am fluent in Korean and proficient in German, Japanese, and Spaniish. After reading this book I am ready to push harder and become fluent in several languages. The story was interesting putting his life in perspective and showing how he learned. A must have for anyone interested in learning several languages.
Rated by buyers -
I think Kaufmann's book is very interesting. He tells his story about his life of language learning and how he didn't rely on grammar lessons. This book is similar to Barry Farber's book who also rejected learning grammar; he accepted learning by communicating. I wrote a book in which I wrote down how I learn languages. I'm very traditional; I like to know the grammar. My book is more like a primer that can be use with another grammar book.
One thing I had a serious problem with in this book is Kaufmann's definition of the word "linguist." A linguist is not anybody who can speak two or more languages. That's the old definition of "linguist." A person who speaks two or more languages is called a "polyglot." A linguist is a person who studies the science and mechanics of language (gerund, past participle, phonetics, morphology, etc.). One my professors used to be a linguist, and he told me that people have a skewed definition of the word "linguist."
Brandon Simpson
Rated by buyers -
I liked Steve Kaufmann's book because it gives you a systematic approach for the real world, very much UNLIKE most language schools which focus on grammar. His approach is more practical and includes writing, which through my own experience has helped me to improve in fluency. If you follow his method you develope fluency quicker than going to most language schools.
Jerry Bauer
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