Thanks to his extensive experience as an Australian academic specializing in modern teaching methods and his belief that learning languages should be a fun adventure, Handley offers this book as a key to speaking a new language within a few months and transforming the language learning journey into an enjoyable one.
What Does the Fast Easy Way to Learn a Language Include?
In the introduction, the author expresses his deep passion for learning and speaking foreign languages, sharing how excited he is to be able to use a language that neither his friends nor family members master, which allows him to have private conversations with people who are fluent in that language. Also, he recounts how he successfully convinced two girls from his neighborhood to teach him French before he entered school.
He highlights a strategy he learned from his father and has used ever since: linking new information with old information he possesses, emphasizing that the more bizarre or humorous the information, the better. It is worth mentioning that the author, Bill Handley, speaks 15 languages.
Bill was excited to start high school and learn French seriously, but he was disappointed to find that his classmates who had finished school could not hold a simple conversation in French. After graduating, Bill resorted to buying CDs and attending evening classes to learn French, making notable progress. At the same time, he discovered CDs for learning German (the "Assimil" method), and he reached an acceptable level within two months.
Also, he shares stories about purchasing materials to learn Russian and Italian, as well as developing teaching methods. Bill has taught languages in several countries, such as Canada, Singapore, and Malaysia, taking the opportunity to learn new languages himself. His book Fast Easy Way to Learn a Language consists of twenty-one chapters, each dedicated to explaining one language learning method and the benefits derived from this step. They are as follows:
- Why Learn a Language?
- Preparation
- Choosing Your Tools
- Getting Started
- Make Your Own Survival Course
- Learning a Different Alphabet or Writing System
- Using a Dictionary
- Recorded Material
- Vocabulary
- Your Plan
- Using ‘Lost’ Time
- Enjoy Light Reading
- Language Classes
- Meeting People
- Grammar
- Plan Your Own Immersion Program
- What If You Just Don’t Feel Like It?
- Using the Internet
- Advice for School and University Students
- Language Addicts
- How to Make a Comeback
Why Learn a Language?
Bill Handley lists several motivations for learning a new language in his book Fast Easy Way to Learn a Language. These include travel, the need to interact with people from different cultures, and the requirement to do business with organizations or individuals who speak foreign languages.
Also, personal factors are taken into account, including marriage or relationships with multilingual individuals, the desire to learn information pertinent to particular fields, and sometimes silly or trivial reasons like liking the sound of a language, purchasing a curriculum at a discount, being passionate about the history of the language you wish to learn, or simply learning for fun or a challenge.
All Beginnings Are Difficult
Handley recognizes that every beginning is challenging. The beginning is where the issue is. When we consider the task as a whole, the sheer volume of information we have to learn overwhelms us. "The issue is that when we start a new project, we see it as a whole, and we feel like we will be crushed under its weight because there is so much that we need to learn," he says.
"How are we going to learn everything?" Therefore, he recommends breaking study times into short periods and setting specific goals to motivate people and facilitate the learning process. He sets some goals for himself:
1. Good Time Investment
Learning a language doesn't have to take long hours every day, as thirty minutes a day can be sufficient. The target language can be learned in short bursts of five to ten minutes during this time, with more time allotted on the weekends.
2. You Are Your Own Teacher
It’s up to you to determine how you learn and choose the educational resources that suit you.
3. Language Choosing
When considering learning an additional foreign language, you should ask yourself: "Which language would be most useful if I wanted to learn a second foreign language as well?"
4. Goal-Setting
You should have clear goals when you decide to start learning a specific language. You need to set long- and short-term goals during the learning process. The process involves three basic steps: identifying your goals, creating a plan to achieve them, and then executing the plan.
Setting deadlines for goals is crucial because it makes achieving them more likely. After that, short-term goals should be set, such as learning one lesson daily or spending a specific amount of time each day studying the language, divided into manageable time periods.
Choosing Your Tools
Following your decision regarding the language you want to learn, you must use various study tools, including audio files, CDs, textbooks, dictionaries, phrasebooks, flashcards, notebooks, radios, televisions, and studying in classrooms.
Also, you may need to use the internet, newspapers, and magazines. In his book Fast Easy Way to Learn a Language, Handley goes over each of these resources, their applications, and their advantages.
Getting Started
The first step to acquiring a target language is learning to read it. Bill Handley suggests studying from textbooks and breaking up your study into two waves: the first wave involves reading each chapter quickly and solving the attached exercises. In contrast, the second wave includes completing written and oral exercises.
Remember to use notebooks for taking notes and continuous review. Also, you can apply the well-known 80/20 rule to language learning, concentrating on picking up words that account for 20% of words in writings and conversations. Additionally, remember how crucial it is to motivate yourself to stay on track.
Make Your Own Survival Course
There are numerous recorded educational resources available that can be highly helpful. Some people enjoy solving drills and exercises, and they have achieved great success with this approach. Use this strategy effectively if it suits you.
Among these materials is the Assimil method, which breaks down lessons into manageable chunks for daily review, illustrates the lesson content with cartoon images, and offers quick exercises.
Another method is Transparent Language, which gives you the option to repeat words as needed and play audio at four different speeds. Also, it provides a comprehensive grammatical description for each word along with translations for every phrase and literal meanings.
Vocabulary
Handley highlights how crucial it is to concentrate on expanding one's vocabulary when learning a language. A varied vocabulary may help you automatically learn more grammar rules, and it will also help you comprehend what you read or hear and communicate effectively.
Your Plan
Establishing a learning plan requires setting a specific schedule and committing to it as much as possible. Generally, it is recommended to set daily study time of varying length, focusing on consistency and continuous progress. Also, you can set aside specific days to study more diligently than others. Sometimes, you may dedicate all of your time to studying a language.
The suggested plan calls for breaking up the time into weeks and then days, outlining the tasks that must be completed daily. For example, the first day of the first week could include:
- Getting familiar with the written language and pronunciation rules.
- Reading the first few chapters in each textbook.
- Reading your phrasebook and looking up important phrases from your perspective.
- Listening to a language learning tape or CD.
Using ‘Lost’ Time
Bill Handley points out lost time opportunities that can be invested in learning languages quickly and easily. He defines lost time as periods we might spend waiting while traveling, such as waiting when commuting, or during daily tasks like waiting in bank lines or ordering at restaurants.
Handley believes these periods can be used positively for language learning. He highlights the significance of utilizing these brief windows of time to improve learning by reviewing educational materials or using quick study notebooks rather than wasting them.
Enjoy Light Reading
Bill Handley encourages people to enjoy learning new languages through light and enjoyable reading. He points out that language learning should be a fun process, not just a burdensome task. Taking advantage of light readings and appreciating the language will help you achieve this.
Reading various materials in the target language, including picture books, comic books, science fiction, realistic literature, newspapers, magazines, and web pages, is a fun and efficient way to pick up the language. It is recommended that a diverse collection of these reading materials be kept handy to enjoy at any time.
Language Classes
Bill Handley highlights the importance of formal lessons in language learning. He believes that attending class is a crucial alternative to studying alone. He claims that attending class every day or every week helps maintain discipline and perseverance in learning the language, particularly for those who lack the willpower to continue learning independently.
Handley explains that formal lessons facilitate the studying and learning process by providing opportunities to ask questions and ensure understanding of the taught materials. Additionally, they provide a well-structured study plan, which helps people prepare for class and improve their study skills.
Meeting People
In his book Fast Easy Way to Learn a Language, Bill Handley encourages conversing with native speakers of the target language as an effective way to improve speaking and comprehension skills. He mentions that spending time with people who speak the target language and are immersed in its culture can provide an experience similar to visiting their country. This allows people to immerse themselves in the language and receive intensive training in speaking and understanding it.
Handley emphasizes that meeting native speakers is one of the most enjoyable and effective ways to enhance language skills. Additionally, it represents a good opportunity to discover the social and cultural rules of the language-speaking community, which helps improve social and cultural interaction when communicating in the target language.
In Conclusion
Australian Bill Handley, the author of Fast Easy Way to Learn a Language, offers techniques and approaches that anyone wanting to learn a new language can use. These techniques facilitate rapid vocabulary growth and a seamless comprehension of grammatical rules. Furthermore, he clarifies the importance of using multiple textbooks to advance in language learning, effectively investing "lost" time in the learning process, and dealing with feelings of giving up.
Additionally, the book discusses the most effective methods for language learning, including active and passive learning, organizing writing and memorizing alphabet techniques, using recorded materials effectively, and maximizing benefits from online language resources.
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