Success with Foreign Languages: Seven who achieved it and what worked for them

by Earl W. Stevick

Originally published as:   Stevick, Earl W. 1989. Success with Foreign Languages: Seven who achieved it and what worked for them. New York: Prentice Hall. © 1989 Earl W. Stevick. Used by permission.

Complete Table of Contents

Summary

This book contains Earl Stevick's analysis of the strategies used by seven successful language learners and the implications for becoming a more successful language learner yourself. There are extensive excerpts from taped interviews with the seven learners, with Stevick's comments on the strategies and beliefs of the various learners. The book ends with Stevick's summary of what we can learn from the experiences of these learners. This book shows the diversity of approaches and beliefs that can be held by successful language learners and can provide suggestions for strategies that may work for you.

1. An Intuitive Learner: Ann learning Norwegian

1.1 As language comes in
1.2 The power of context
1.3 Notes

2. A Formal Learner: Bert learning Chinese

2.1 Audio-lingual-style activities
2.2 Bert's other activities
2.3 Notes

3. An Informal Learner: Carla learning Portuguese and German

3.1 Sources of encouragement
3.2 Sources of conflict and discouragement
3.3 Notes

4. An Imaginative Learner: Derek learning German, Russian and Finnish

4.1 Imagination in mastering fundamentals
4.2 Imagination in using the language
4.3 Notes

5. An Active Learner: Ed learning Korean, Rumanian and Swahili

5.1 Pronunciation
5.2 Vocabulary and grammar
5.3 Observing one's own mental activity
5.4 Notes

6. A deliberate learner: Frieda learning Arabic and Hebrew

6.1 Texts and grammar
6.2 Vocabulary
6.3 Pronunciation
6.4 Cultural considerations
6.5 Notes

7. A Self-aware learner: Gwen learning Japanese

7.1 Working on the mechanics of the language
7.2 Other matters

8. Summary

8.1 What worked for these learners
8.2 Conceptual gaps in this book
8.3 What I myself would do with a new language
8.4 What this means to me as a teacher
8.5 Notes