Product Description

Make the most of learning a new language with this comprehensive guide written by experienced language teachers. It offers crucial and practical advice, and features a number of exercises to help you assess the way you learn, improvements that can be made, and how to use resources effectively.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #31091 in Books
• Published on: 2005-07-14
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 256 pages

Review

'Whatever your motivation or goals, this book will help you to realize your potential and gain access to new cultures, peoples and their heritage.'

-Association of Language Learning

'Its is clear that this book is the result of years of experience, coupled with unmistakeable concern for and sensitivity to the particular needs of the adult learner.' - Association of Language Learning

'A first-rate general introduction to all known learning techniques and discussions, but even better in my view is it's refreshing tang of lived experience from the contributors.' -  Richard Oates, Sherborne School

From the Back Cover

Beginning to learn a completely new language can be a daunting prospect. You may have not studied for some time, lack confidence, or simply wish for some practical guidance on making the most of your language study. Success with Languages is designed to help all students to develop the skills they need to become an effective language learner.

Written by experienced teachers of languages at the Open University, this book offers crucial and practical advice on such crucial areas as:

Each of the ten chapters contains a number of exercises, in order to help you assess the way that you learn and consider how it might be improved.

While designed primarily for undergraduate and postgraduate students studying courses that involve a language component, this study guide is relevant to anyone learning a language in any situation. Whatever your motivation and goals, this book will help you to realise your potential and open your mind to new cultures, peoples and their heritage.

About the Author

Stella Hurd is Senior Lecturer and Linda Murphy is a Staff Tutor in the Department of Languages at The Open University, UK.

Customer Reviews

Success with languages
If this is an OU set book for your course, don't buy it. It just states the obvious and is a pretty dull book. If you have having problems learning the language then speak to your tutor. I bought it because it was a set book for my language course but it'll be in my paper recycling bin soon. To say I'm disappointed is an understatement.

Nothing particularly interesting
I picked this up because I've been studying Spanish for quite a while, and wanted to revise my techniques as I wasn't making much progress.

I ended up fairly disappointed with this book. It's a description of fairly obviously study techniques, padded out with various other dull-ish text to make it into a decent size book.

I had been hoping for a list of interesting drills, or some novel techniques for giving me a bit of a leap forward in my learning, but as a Spanish student for the last 3/4 years, I got very little out of this.

The only person I could see it appealing to is someone who hasn't really done any study at an advanced level, (perhaps an early school leaver, trying to study later in life), and who needs to try and structure their learning.

However, if you're a couple of years into your studies, I would steer clear.

Not Impressed
I guess that this book survives by being a set book with the OU. In reality its content is very thin and besides, if you wanted to learn a foreign language why would you want to waste time wading through 238 pages written in English when you could spend it learning a foreign language?