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How To Learn Any Language Paperback – January 1, 1991

by Barry Farber (Author)
4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 144 ratings
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Barry Farber has been a true adventurer in languages for forty-six years and can speak in twenty-five tongues. The techniques he presents in "How to Learn Any Language" will have you speaking, reading, writing and enjoying any foreign language you want to learn - or have to learn - in a surprisingly short time.

Without beating your head against verb conjugations or noun declensions, you can follow Farber's principles and glide toward proficiency in your chosen language. His method consist of four ground-breaking but simple concepts hailed by language-teaching professionals:

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Previous page
  1. Print length
    192 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publication date
    January 1, 1991
  4. Dimensions
    5.25 x 0.44 x 8.25 inches
  5. ISBN-10
    0806512717
  6. ISBN-13
    978-0806512716
  7. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Barry J. Farber is the president of Farber Training Systems, Inc. and The Diamond Group, and a noted author, speaker, television talk-show host and consultant in the areas of sales, management, and personal development. Among his many corporate clients are Allied Signal, AT&T, Chase Manhattan Bank, The Perrier Group, Merck, and Val-Pak. The author of Diamond in the Rough, Diamonds Under Pressure, and State of the Art Selling (available in both book and audiocassette format), Farber has been interviewed on CBS, NBC, and CNN and featured in leading business publications. He lives in New Jersey with his wife and three children.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Kensington Publishing Corp.; First Edition (January 1, 1991)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 192 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0806512717
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0806512716
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 8.5 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.25 x 0.44 x 8.25 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 144 ratings

Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
4.3 out of 5
144 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Wendy Cook
5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome book on alternative methods in language learning!
Reviewed in the United States on December 2, 2017
Verified Purchase
Excellent book! It has extremely useful tips and instuction, while at the same time giving insightful details as to why traditional methods of language learning don't work for most people. This was my first book in alternative language learning and I think the best. Although, Fluent in Three Months is a very, very close second. Get both! Also get Undead an Unwed. It's not related to language learning, it's just a fun read. Woot!

Barry Farber started learning languages when he was young - and to date the book, he says he started in 1944. I LOVE the fact that this book is set around that time. His stories are so interesting!

This is the basics of his system:
* Multiple Track Attack - Basically, this means if a tool is working for you, use it! If not, find another! And then another!
* Hidden Moments - You don't learn a language 45 minutes a day 5 days a week in a class - you learn it whenever and wherever you can, carrying around a small packet of vocabulary with you.
* Harry Lorayne's Magic Memory - Awesome book! Even for today, completely relevant and super useful, even for non-language learners.
* The Plunge - Welcome to the real world! Learning outside the classroom in various places - this is SUPER easy this day and age.

Once you get through this book and have your tools ready and are working through them and enjoying your newly acquired skills, check out these books as well:
Fluent in 3 Months (Benny Lewis) - He is also a digital nomad of sorts with an excellent web site!
Fluent Forever (Gabriel Wyner)
Babel No More (Michael Erard)

Each of these have techniques and tips that build upon what you will learn in this book, which I really consider the father of the alt language learning movement. If you have taken Beginning French 13 times (me!), Japanese x2 (me!), Russian class, Chinese, etc, and could not seem to get it to stick - if you have given up and decided you just aren't a language learner - these are the books for you! Also, it's not you! All of these books describe in detail why and how classroom language learning just doesn't work, with stats to back it up. Since beginning these techniques, I have gotten further on in French than I ever did in class, in far shorter time, and I am retaining it - with much better pronunciation. Yay! So read, get back your hope and aspirations, and then start your journey today. Woot!
13 people found this helpful
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EB SK
4.0 out of 5 stars This book was the original, but yes, it’s dated
Reviewed in the United States on October 1, 2023
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I’ve given this book a generally high rating because it was the original as far as practical, innovative ways to learn language. I’ve taken one star off because, yes, it’s dated. Some complain that it is dated and it’s ideas can be found elsewhere. Well, yeah, it’s from 1991 and yes there have been imitators who have taken this book’s material and ran with it and maybe added to it. Yes, you can find the advice in this book elsewhere.

Some complain that it talks about using cassette tapes and Walkmans, and not the internet. Can they really not figure out how to adapt the advice to use cassette tapes and Walkmans to the present day? The guy who complained that it should be updated may not realize that this author has been dead for a long time. I wouldn’t hold my breath.

This book has several useful suggested techniques which can now be found from other sources. It also has another concept that I liked that I have not seen elsewhere. The book talks about how some people avoid language learning because they worry that they will not have the commitment to see it through to fluency. But the author says that you don’t necessarily have to “marry” a language. It’s okay if you just want to “date” a language. And maybe later you’ll decide to marry, or not. You can choose to date several languages. I found this idea useful to pursue language interests without feeling pressure that I had to commit to a certain high level outcome.
One person found this helpful
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Dr. Peter O
5.0 out of 5 stars motivation and guidance for language learning
Reviewed in the United States on October 25, 2023
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I used to listen to Barry Farber’s talk radio program every night. He was a fascinating man who loved world languages and communicating with people with widely different perspectives. In this book, he provides a multitude of ideas on how to speed up achieving foreign language fluency. This book is a very easy and fast read that you will keep coming back to for ideas on becoming a polyglot. Highly recommend.
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Jessica
3.0 out of 5 stars Very inspiring
Reviewed in the United States on March 3, 2006
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I bought this book hoping that it would give me some useful techniques for learning French. I did find one that was extremely helpful. Mr. Farber's suggestions on remebering vocabulary were excellent and I did learn the words a lot quicker using his technique than I did on my own. I also thought it was a very interesting read; it did not take me long to finish the book. I was also very inspired by some of the stories he wrote about his experiences in using languages. It made me really want to learn to have similar experiences. I did not care for the method he outlined to learning the language. I do think that it would work, but did not fit well with my learning style. I prefer to start with a dictionary and one text book and work my way through that before going in depth into grammar and trying to read material actually written in the language. I also think it would be cheaper to start with one book than the several he suggests buying. I also find it helpful to switch the language in the DVD's that I have. Most DVD's are dubbed in French and Spanish, but there are some I own that have Chinese and Japanese. It really helps understanding the spoken language. Overall, I liked the book, but there could have been a couple of methods outlined to learning a language instead of just one. All people do not learn the same way.
11 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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Cliente Amazon
4.0 out of 5 stars Cosi e cosi
Reviewed in Italy on April 5, 2021
Verified Purchase
Comprato il libro usato, libro arrivato nei termini previsti, di per se il libro è scorrevole nella lettura, ma a livello di contenuti dice ben poco, si potrebbe riassumerlo in 5 pagine, sembra la classica pappardella motivazionale made in USA dove racconta le mille storie di vita ed esperienza per poi dire ben poco del pratico. Qualche spunto lo da ma è ben poco, quindi se lo acquistate per 4€ o 5€ vale anche la pena, ma non spenderei mai 10€ per questo libro, anche perché sono 170 pagine ma effettive sono 150.
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floriboy
5.0 out of 5 stars Let's learn languages!!
Reviewed in Germany on December 14, 2012
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Very good book, easy and entertaining to read. It makes one want to learn even more languages. There are a lot of useful hints and gudelines to gather and use tools, the right books and to meet the people with whom to exercise.
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Mrs Blanco
5.0 out of 5 stars gets you thinking...
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 16, 2012
Verified Purchase
due to the mixed reviews of this book, i got myself a cheap second hand copy. i was pleasantly surprised by the content. ok, there is a lot of chit chat and loads of anecdotes, like most books aimed at the US market. but its easy to skip these bits if you want to cut to the chase. his story is interesting, tho, and his enthusiam is infectious, so come back to it later!

the book suggests a multi-activity way of learning your target language instead of ploughing through your language textbook from beginning to end. he suggests use of flashcards, kids books, magazines, etc, even music in your target language. the book seems to be written pre-internet. but this was a bonus as i found myself being able to think of extra ways to incorporate fun study; for example, i discovered you can study virtual flashcards online, a store online that sells audio recordings of my language for listening practice. i'm even studying recipes in my language now!

i'd recommend this if your finding your language course book a bit dry and need a boot up the behind to feel motivated and positive again. i'm certainly feeling a lot more excited about my own course book, now i know its just one tool of many i can use to becoming fluent in my target language.
5 people found this helpful
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Snorkledorf
5.0 out of 5 stars The "whys" have it!
Reviewed in Japan on February 25, 2002
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I first picked up this book two months before I came here to Japan. That was ten years ago. Of the various books I've looked at that try to teach you how to learn a language, this one stands out from the rest for the sheer enthusiasm that Mr. Farber shares with the reader. His techniques are sound, and his recommendations are effective, but it's his expression of the sheer joy of learning languages that oozes out of every page of this book that gives it a permanent place on my shelf. Techniquesare useful only as long as the motivation of the learner is strong. This book gives me a "boost to the head" every time I pick it up!
In fact I once found to my horror that I had somehow lost my copy, and I found myself rushing out and buying another one. (After which the first one of course showed up in plain sight...) So if I can have two copies, you should have at least one! (: Seriously though, I really recommend this book to everyone who has an urge or a need to learn a foreignlanguage - no hesitation.
Someone once said that if you have a good enough "why" for what you do, you can deal with almost any "how." Faber gives you a book full of "whys," and a toybox full of pretty good "hows" while he's at it.
Now after ten years of Japanese, I'm beginning to look lustfully at Korean and Chinese... Somebody stop me...!
6 people found this helpful
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Knud Jeppesen
3.0 out of 5 stars inspiring book with some good suggestions
Reviewed in Germany on May 3, 2013
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I bought this book because I thought it was written by Albert Ellis. It is not. The authors name is Barry Farber, it seems to be an Amazon mistake. Ellis has nothing to with the book.
Anyway, if you expect a fantastic book that will make you learn a language easy and quickly, you will must likely be a bit dissapointed. The methods suggested are good, but not the invention of the century. However, I did enjoy the book and the Memorizing technique of Harry Lorayne certainly worked for me! So you may find good tips plus an interesting story in the book. I have not regret bying it.
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