Guidelines for Barefoot Language Learning: An Approach Through Involvement and Independence

Do you want to learn and use a foreign language? Or, in Larson's words, are you someone who "lives or is preparing to live in a community where residents use a language that is different from your own?" Consider this a must-have book. The first third of the book lays out a bare-bones description of what it takes to learn a new language, what helps and hinders the process, and how to go about doing it as effectively as possible. The last two-thirds of the book is composed of daily guidelines designed to move the learner down the road toward fluency.Larson's book is a treasure-trove for language learners. He covers the spectrum from learning language basics to dealing with interpersonal difficulties and workplace challenges. Those familiar with Brewster and Brewster's "Language Acquisition Made Practical" (LAMP) will be delighted with the practicality of Larson's detailed descriptions of 200 day-to-day learning situations.While the book describes how to learn a language while living in a community, it is also a helpful resource for classroom learning. The principles described can be a help in evaluating and learning whatever may be missing from the classroom curriculum.Anyone who finds this book helpful should also check out Larson's "Becoming Bilingual" as well as "Language Acquisition Made Practical," by E. Thomas Brewster and Elizabeth S. Brewster.