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The Art and Science of Learning Languages
Offers a framework for learning any language and provides the arguments as to why anyone should do so, as well as examining the merits of various methods of language learning. The key message of the book is the importance of self-reliance based on a positive approach and efficient organization.
344 pages, Paperback
First published December 1, 1997
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
July 15, 2021
The only reason I haven't given this book 5 stars is because it's 25 years old and quite outdated in some of its basic assumptions (nobody uses cassette tapes anymore, and you don't need to travel to a different country to chat with native speakers when Discord lets you do that from your room. Arguably, modern technology has made language learning trivially easy by now). However, it's basic principles are still very much relevant, and I would earnestly recommend this book to any language learning newcomers.
One of Gethin & Gunnemark's core beliefs is that relying on teachers is a terrible way to learn languages (a fact confirmed by my personal experiences with some terrible, terrible teachers) and that students need to take their own learning into their own hands. This cannot be stressed enough. I personally had my best period of language learning after I stopped hoping teachers would pour knowledge into my brain without me having to do anything. The book gives plenty of advice to guide the reader through the entire process of learning pronunciation, vocabulary, and grammar wholly on their own. A lot of it was well known to me, but even I managed to gleam some great advice off it (cutting down on dictionary usage and intensive reading were some of the most important).
The chapter on how to pass language examinations was a very welcome one as well, as being well-trained in proper exam technique is sometimes way more important than knowing the language.
All in all I recommend this book to anyone interested in language learning, both new and old. There's a lot to learn from it as long as one keeps in mind that it will not be 100% up to date.
PS: I find it funny how the authors predicted both a) how modern day language learning software would work (i.e. Duolingo), and b) that it would suck
One of Gethin & Gunnemark's core beliefs is that relying on teachers is a terrible way to learn languages (a fact confirmed by my personal experiences with some terrible, terrible teachers) and that students need to take their own learning into their own hands. This cannot be stressed enough. I personally had my best period of language learning after I stopped hoping teachers would pour knowledge into my brain without me having to do anything. The book gives plenty of advice to guide the reader through the entire process of learning pronunciation, vocabulary, and grammar wholly on their own. A lot of it was well known to me, but even I managed to gleam some great advice off it (cutting down on dictionary usage and intensive reading were some of the most important).
The chapter on how to pass language examinations was a very welcome one as well, as being well-trained in proper exam technique is sometimes way more important than knowing the language.
All in all I recommend this book to anyone interested in language learning, both new and old. There's a lot to learn from it as long as one keeps in mind that it will not be 100% up to date.
PS: I find it funny how the authors predicted both a) how modern day language learning software would work (i.e. Duolingo), and b) that it would suck
September 18, 2025
Gethin completely dismantles the credentialist myth that “you need a teacher, grammar drills, and linguistic theory to learn. Empowers the individual to trust their own brain, intuition, and contextual learning. He exposes how education systems create dependency and failure through over-complication, especially with language. This is a deprogramming tool, not a self-help book.
March 5, 2013
An excellent book on learn languages. Most Books talk about teaching, this one is an exception. He really is talking about LEARNING. So rare! and probably the reason why so many readers are surprised by what they read.
If you are serious about learning English, this is the book you need. If you want to learn another language, I would still recommend it. It has excellent general advice.
If you are serious about learning English, this is the book you need. If you want to learn another language, I would still recommend it. It has excellent general advice.
July 22, 2014
After years of false starts with independent language learning, I am hopeful some of the lessons from this excellent book will help me get on the right track.
One particularly interesting point to me is to rapidly read through a grammar book. And then again and again. Each time you'll pick up more about the language.
But the main thing is exposure: listen to radio broadcasts, read, etc.
Actually, the real main thing is you simply have to put cycles towards LEARNING! The model of a teacher lecturing students is certainly not popular with these authors. Rather, teachers should be replaced by language guides.
Okay, those were just a few quick notes.
One particularly interesting point to me is to rapidly read through a grammar book. And then again and again. Each time you'll pick up more about the language.
But the main thing is exposure: listen to radio broadcasts, read, etc.
Actually, the real main thing is you simply have to put cycles towards LEARNING! The model of a teacher lecturing students is certainly not popular with these authors. Rather, teachers should be replaced by language guides.
Okay, those were just a few quick notes.
August 20, 2017
Gethin's advice is solid and practical - based on decades of his teaching english and thinking about language learning. He's a bit of an intellectual rebel and has written some polemical books criticizing Chomskyan linguistics.
September 8, 2012
Pretty good. Authors are VERY opinionated, and so sometimes they go off on a tangent. It's a bit haphazardly put together, and makes reference to languages with which I wasn't familiar, so sometimes skipped through passages of Swedish etc. Overall, makes a strong case for a certain way of learning languages (in part, through lots of reading) that I'll be giving a try...
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews