1. Learning a language at an advanced age - at 50, our memory is not what it used to be in our twenties.
2. Learning the language without teachers, using only books, CDs and TV
3. Learning a difficult language

To make the challenge a true challenge, my 7^th language would be Arabic.

I stopped most other activities, in particular seeking new sponsors for my websites. Was the timing inappropriate for such a break? In economic terms, it probably was. At the age of 50, your professional career has gained cruising speed and you have a dense network of friendly business relationships. Turning your attention away necessarily comes at a cost. Fortunately, the many insights I gained into the mechanisms of memory, attention and motivation, as well as the use of the Internet for language acquisition, compensated for the loss.

It all started at school, in the Germany of the 60ies, where the languages I was taught - French, English, Latin - had long-lasting consequences on my life. At 17, I met an enchanting young French girl who is now my wife, and today I write this book in English to reach a global public. Even Latin was of paramount importance: at Christmas 1966, one week before my 13^th birthday, Latin was the subject of my first self-experiments. I immediately used the brand new Christmas tape recorder to register the Latin words of the first seven lessons and their German translations: rosa - die Rose; insula - die Insel; bestia - das Tier (see Figure 1.1). For several weeks thereafter, before falling asleep, I would listen to the recordings in the dark. I didn't know at the time that I was casting the basis for my future medical career. We will come back to that.

Figure 1.1: Christmas 1966: Recording Latin vocabulary.

In total, I have spent 10 years of my life learning and playing and experimenting with languages. This book summarises some of the lessons I have learned. It is a book for adults. To make sure that you don't waste your time, let me briefly describe the kind of adventure you are embarking on. Speaking > 1 Language is not about counting ("I, too, know Arabic. I can count to 10.") or ordering a dish of Italian pastasciutta or any other minor conversational exploit. The book is about the effort adults need to undertake to speak and understand another language. I define "speaking another language" extensively. The definition includes, as a minimum, to be able

• to read newspapers
• to understand TV news or documentaries
• to imagine the correct spelling while listening to TV news or documentaries
• to repeat, with a delay of a second or two, what you hear on TV

In other words, Speaking > 1 Language describes the steps to metamorphose yourself from a perfect illiterate to someone who has fluent hearing and reading abilities in a new language. To achieve these abilities, you should ideally study on a daily basis. Depending on a number of variables we will discuss later, the time needed to reach your destination is between one to five years.

I have condensed Speaking > 1 Language as much as possible so that you should be able to read it in two hours. If you have ever learned another language, you will recognise some of your experiences and find explanations for your successes, failures or frustrations. If you have to learn another language in the future, you might find useful hints that will save you time. Young or future teachers will read the following chapters with particular attention. Although it is not a treaty on neuroscience, Speaking > 1 Language introduces basic concepts of information processing and storage. Suggestions of how to use modern communication technologies to facilitate the teaching of languages indicate avenues for future activities.

The next chapter will show you how language learning can partly be quantified. That will enable you to plan your future effort over time. In the subsequent chapters, you will hear such curious advice as "Start listening, go on listening, continue listening - but please don't speak too early!"; you will discover some of your extraordinary reading abilities; learn how differently your brain processes spoken words and written words; see the need of sequencing speech in small slices; hear about language talent and other factors that have nothing to do with talent; discover the extraordinary accomplishments of your memory; and, finally, conceive a strategic plan to crack your next language as fast and as reliably as possible.

Reading newspapers, understanding TV - the bar is high. Let's start with the number of new words you will have to feed into your brain. Be prepared for the worst.

>>> Chapter 2