语言学习天书 Fluent forever

The first reason I keep recommending English books to my friends is because I want them to speed up their English learning process. This book is like a starlight to me in terms of language learning. The principles and methods mentioned in this book are simple but mindblowing. It conforms with the logic of how we master a language.

To be honest, Mr. Wyner is not talented in language learning. He is an opera singer and after a 5-year hard study in Hebrew he still didn't go anywhere. Studying smart is much more important than studying hard. It reminds me of a saying from Bill Gates: "The first rule of any technology used in a business is that automation applied to an efficient operation will magnify the efficiency. The second is that automation applied to an inefficient operation will magnify the inefficiency". (自动化用于高效的操作系统上将会更高效，反言之，如果用在低效率的操作系统上将会放大其的低效率). To efficiently master a target language, first thing you do is to create an efficient system to smooth your process. 

Despite of his failure in learning Hebrew, Mr. Wyner is crazy about the process of language learning. He gradually figured out an effective system on his own in the process of learning. By using this system, he reached his fluency in French in just 5 months. Like Steve Jobs said, "you got to love what you do". If you are passionate about something, you will think about it day and night.  Then you will figure out how to do it better no matter what and put all your effort into it. This is the feeling I want you to remember. There is no difficult language. It is just a difficult language for you to learn. For example, Japanese is harder to learn for an English speaker than for a Chinese speaker. If you create your own effective system, it is just a matter of time for you to master your target language.

Several ideas in this book can help you out:

1. Learning pronunciation first. This is exactly what we Chinese speakers need but we didn't do it enough. It's the root of language learning. Speaking is the highest level of language learning. If you can speak out the word or phrases and use it in your daily life, there is no way you cannot understand. Learning the tone, the rhythm, and the tone of a lanuage is like learning a song with lyrics. You have to sing the right rhythm, right? Actually, learning pronunciation is not that difficult. No matter how hard a language is, there are only like ten syllables that are out of your mother language pronounciation zone. Figure out these syllables and practice all the time till you are comfortable with them. Once your pronunication is closed to the native speakers, you build up your second-language ears. You are going to feel better and better, and learn faster and faster.

2. Make flash card (生词卡片). Making flash card is an effective way to memorize words and phrases. Mr. Wyner introduced an useful app and taught us how to make effective flash card to speed up your learning process. An impressive method that I've never heard before is trying to connect image with word. Do not write your own language on the card. You can even draw something on it. Make sure one card one question. 

3. SRS (Spaced Repetition System). We always forget stuff. It happens. It's just a part of life. SRS suggests you to memorize it before it slips your mind. It helps you to turn your short-term memory into a long-term memory. Mr. Wyner also suggest us to recall instead of review. Recall means you write what you remembered on a piece of paper. Do not review. 

4. Leitner Box. It acts like a filter to sife out what you forget. All you need is just keep repetition until it get through all your boxes.

图片来自 根深叶茂的博客