4. Introduction. About this Book


This book is divided into three sections that may be read in any order.

- A LANGUAGE ADVENTURE describes my experience in acquiring eight languages in a variety of environments and at different stages of my life. I include personal observations reflecting my curiosity about culture and history. These observations may seem unrelated to language learning, but they are not. A linguist needs to be a curious adventurer.

- THE ATTITUDE OF A LINGUIST describes the attitudes that are essential to successful language study. More than any other factor, your attitude will determine your success in language learning. The description of these attitudes will reinforce conclusions that the reader will make in reading the autobiographical section.

- HOW TO LEARN LANGUAGES is about the nuts and bolts of how to learn languages. You may wish to read this section first; however, you should still read the whole book to fully understand what is required to become a linguist.

All languages are equally worthy of our attention. At The Linguist we hope to continue to expand the number of languages we offer. We are confident that when you see how easy and enjoyable it is to learn one language, you will want to learn another.

Once you are a member at The Linguist, you can use our site to learn as many languages as you want. Commit yourself to becoming a linguist!

add to del icio us
Content Provider Provider logo

The Linguist Book

This is a part of The Linguist: A personal guide to language learning which you can buy online at TheLinguist website. The paperback is available in English, Simplified Chinese and Traditional Chinese and the downloadable PDF e-book is available in English, French, Spanish, Japanese, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese and Korean.




All content on TheLinguist is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

Creative Commons License

LingQ Logo

Browse our library, take your time. When you're ready, sign up for a FREE LingQ account!

  • Premium content
  • Vocabulary tools
  • Community
  • Writing
  • Live conversation
  • Tutoring
  • Pronunciation
  • Statistical tracking