Fluent Forever: How to Learn Any Language Fast and Never Forget It

by Gabriel Wyner

Overview

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • For anyone who wants to learn a foreign language, this is the method that will finally make the words stick.
 
“A brilliant and thoroughly modern guide to learning new languages.”—Gary Marcus, cognitive psychologist and author of the New York Times bestseller Guitar Zero
 
At thirty years old, Gabriel Wyner speaks six languages fluently. He didn’t learn them in school—who does? Rather, he learned them in the past few years, working on his own and practicing on the subway, using simple techniques and free online resources—and here he wants to show others what he’s discovered.
 
Starting with pronunciation, you’ll learn how to rewire your ears and turn foreign sounds into familiar sounds. You’ll retrain your tongue to produce those sounds accurately, using tricks from opera singers and actors. Next, you’ll begin to tackle words, and connect sounds and spellings to imagery rather than translations, which will enable you to think in a foreign language. And with the help of sophisticated spaced-repetition techniques, you’ll be able to memorize hundreds of words a month in minutes every day. 
 
This is brain hacking at its most exciting, taking what we know about neuroscience and linguistics and using it to create the most efficient and enjoyable way to learn a foreign language in the spare minutes of your day.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780385348119
Publisher:	Harmony/Rodale
Publication date:	08/05/2014
Pages:	336
Sales rank:	47,662
Product dimensions:	6.20(w) x 9.18(h) x 0.72(d)

About the Author

Gabriel Wyner graduated summa cum laude at USC, where he won the school’s Renaissance Award.  His essay on language learning for Lifehacker.com was one of the site’s most read in 2012.

Read an Excerpt

Chapter 1
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Excerpted from "Fluent Forever"
by .
Copyright © 2014 Gabriel Wyner.
Excerpted by permission of Potter/Ten Speed/Harmony/Rodale.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

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Table of Contents

1 Introduction: Stab, Stab, Stab 1

Beginnings 2

Cheaters Occasionally Prosper: The Three Keys to Language Learning 3

The Game Plan 6

How Long Does Fluency Take? 8

Do This Now: The Path Forward 10

2 Upload: Five Principles to End Forgetting 17

Principle 1 Make Memories More Memorable 18

Principle 2 Maximize Laziness 27

Principle 3 Don't Review. Recall. 29

Principle 4 Wait, Wait! Don't Tell Me! 33

Principle 5 Rewrite the Past 36

Timing Is Everything: The End of Forgetting 39

Do This Now: Learn to Use a Spaced Repetition System 48

3 Sound Play 54

Train Your Ears, Rewire Your Brain 57

Train Your Mouth, Get the Girl 64

Train Your Eyes, See the Patterns 71

Do This Now: Learn Your Language's Sound System 77

4 Word Play and the Symphony of a Word 83

Where to Begin: We Don't Talk Much About Apricots 86

Games with Words 89

The Gender of a Turnip 94

Do This Now: Learn Your First 625 Words, Music and All 99

5 Sentence Play 108

The Power of Input: Your Language Machine 109

Simplify, Simplify: Turning Mountains into Molehills 118

Story Time: Making Patterns Memorable 122

On Arnold Schwarzenegger and Exploding Dogs: Mnemonics for Grammar 126

The Power of Output: Your Custom Language Class 130

Do This Now: Learn Your First Sentences 132

6 The Language Game 143

Setting Goals: Your Custom Vocabulary 144

Words About Words 147

Reading for Pleasure and Profit 151

Listening Comprehension for Couch Potatoes 154

Speech and the Game of Taboo 158

Do This Now: Explore Your Language 164

7 Epilogue: The Benefits and Pleasures of Learning a Language 170

The Toolbox

The Gallery: A Guide to the flash Cards That Will Teach You Your Language 177

The Art of Flash Cards 183

The First Gallery: Do-It-Yourself Pronunciation Trainers 191

The Second Gallery: Your First Words 199

The Third Gallery: Using and Learning Your First Sentences 215

The Fourth Gallery: One Last Set of Vocabulary Cards 235

A Glossary of Terms and Tools 243

Appendices 259

Appendix 1 Specific Language Resources 261

Appendix 2 Language Difficulty Estimates 267

Appendix 3 Spaced Repetition System Resources 271

Appendix 4 The international Phonetic Alphabet Decoder 277

Appendix 5 Your First 625 Words 293

Appendix 6 How to Use This Book with Your Classroom Language Course 307

One Last Note (About Technology) 311

Notes 313

Acknowledgments 319

Index 321

Editorial Reviews

"This is a fun way for anyone to discover the secrets of language instruction presented in a conversational, stress-free way — no matter how little time you have."
—The Chicago Tribune

“A brilliant and thoroughly modern guide to learning new languages. Fluent Forever won't teach you French, or German, or any other language — but it will teach you how to learn whatever language you do want to learn, and to learn it faster, and more efficiently.  If you want a new language to stick, start here.”
—Gary Marcus, cognitive psychologist and author of the New York Times bestseller Guitar Zero
 
“Aspiring polyglots of the world, take note: this book will help you pick up any new language in record time. If you’re looking for a practical, brain-friendly, field-tested approach to language learning, search no more: you’ve found your guide.”
—Josh Kaufman, bestselling author of The First 20 Hours: How to Learn Anything…Fast!
 
“Never before have I seen a language-learning method — or method for learning anything! — that synchs up so perfectly with our current scientific understanding of how memory works. I now understand why my past attempts to learn other languages (Spanish, German, Latin) have left me with little more than a smattering of near-random vocabulary words, and I'm inspired to try again. Fluent Forever promises a fun, personalized learning regimen that is sure to wire a new tongue into your brain with speed and simplicity. And Wyner’s sharp wit will keep you entertained along the way! I've never been so excited to challenge my mind.”
—Karen Schrock Simring, contributing editor at Scientific American Mind magazine
 
“Fluent Forever more than meets the daunting challenge of learning a new language by giving the reader a solid game plan based on how people actually learn and memorize information. From the first chapter, I couldn't wait to get started using Wyner's techniques and tons of resources. His writing is engaging, smart, and conversational, making learning a real joy. If you've ever wanted to become fluent in another language, do yourself a favor and start reading Fluent Forever now.”
—Melanie Pinola, Contributor Writer for LIfehacker.com and author of LinkedIn in 30 Minutes
 
"Fluent Forever is the book I wish I had had during my numerous failed attempts at learning different languages. It’s a refreshingly fun and engaging guide that shows you how to language-hack your brain.  Wyner’s done all the hard work so that the reader can actually enjoy the process of becoming fluent in a language quickly!"
—Nelson Dellis, 2011 and 2012 USA Memory Champion
 
“This is the book I'd use next time I want to learn a new language. It employs an intelligent mix of the latest methods for learning a language on your own using the web, apps, and voice training tips in an accelerated time frame.
—Kevin Kelly, Senior Maverick for Wired Magazine and author of What Technology Wants
 
"I know what you're thinking: But learning a new language is soooo hard! The solution? Stop being a whiner and start reading Wyner.  This book is a winner!  Guaranteed to rewire your brain in as many languages as you'd like."
—Joel Saltzman, author of Shake That Brain!: How to Create Winning Solutions and Have Fun While You're at It
 
“An excellent book…Wyner writes in an engaging and accessible way, weaving in his personal language journey. His method, proven by his own achievements, is clear: focus on pronunciation, avoid translation, and use spaced repetition extensively.  And he offers lots of specific techniques to make sure you’ll never forget what you’ve learned.  I'd recommend this book to anyone who is serious — not just aspiring but really serious — about becoming fluent in a foreign language.”
—Kevin Chen, Co-Founder, italki.com
 
“Mash up the DNA of Steve Jobs and Aristotle, add training in engineering and opera, and you get Gabriel Wyner, whose ingeniously elegant system helps us knuckleheads learn not just foreign languages but, well, everything. Autodidacts rejoice!”
—Jay Heinrichs, author of Thank You for Arguing and Word Hero
 
“Americans refuse to realize that all languages are foreign — yes, including English. It's time we learned how to speak like the rest of the world: in more ways than one. This book is a hilarious toolbox that helps you get a head start. Pick a foreign language (yes, including English) and voilà: el futuro es tuyo. High-five to Gabriel Wyner!”
—Ilan Stavans, author of Dictionary Days: A Defining Passion 

From the Publisher

2014-06-01
The creator of the popular language-learning website Fluent-Forever.com debuts by putting between covers the essentials of the program that he and myriad others have found helpful.The author is indeed a buoyant, ebullient Harold Hill of a salesman (no dour Willy Loman here!). Throughout his text—which includes many self-help design features, including text boxes, bullet points, illustrations, chapter-end reminders and “key points”—Wyner reminds us repeatedly about how enjoyable his program is. About the vocabulary cards he recommends, he writes, “You’ll discover that they’re a lot of fun to create and a lot of fun to review.” That’s certainly debatable. The author’s program does make use of many sensible and even revolutionary methods for learning a language—principally, the use of visual and auditory reminders of the vocabulary and grammar a novice needs to learn. The more senses involved, the more certain the learning and retention. Wyner also slays a few hoary dragons that continue to dominate lots of classroom instruction: learning vocabulary in clusters of related words (he proposes that learners begin with the 625 most common words), studying grammar in isolation, translation exercises (he advises using only the new language). His arguments and justifications take a little over half of his text; the remainder he calls “The Toolbox,” and here he gives very specific advice about—and illustrations of—his flashcard techniques. He also recommends the heavy use of Google Images and other online visual and auditory aids for beginners—especially sound clips of native speakers. He urges that learners would benefit from mastering the International Phonetic Alphabet early in the process, and he provides a host of appendices, including the “International Phonetic Alphabet Decoder.”A sensible approach that nonetheless requires a substantial commitment of time and energy; as the author well knows, there are no shortcuts to learning anything worthwhile.

Kirkus Reviews

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