Customer Reviews

The Third Ear

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I should start by saying this is a good book to make you focus on what really matters while learning a new language. If you want to learn something new, this is a good title to pick up.

That being said, even as someone that speaks english as a second language, i feel this book needed a stronger editor. As you read, you can't help but wonder if the writer hasn't spent too long in China or some other country and lost his touch for english. Not because of his grammar (since he does point out he doesn't even know what "gerund" means), but because he seems to have serious trouble when telling his "anedoctes".

Most books use short little "real stories" to make a point, and Lonsdale seems to be attempting the same here. Sadly, he fails more often than not. His storytelling skills are... strange, to say the least. He spoils the ending of his "stories" then goes on and on to reach a "message" that we have already have been told, he tells stories that lead nowhere (the golf story is terrible), he meanders around pointless details and so on and on. He also lingers on telling "funny things" that happened with his children (note to writers - stop mentioning your kids every three pages!) that have barely a connection to the topic being discussed.

It's like someone had told Lonsdale it was "a good idea" to add anedoctes to the chapters and he went with it, despite struggling with his storytelling skills. A strong editor would've made sure to get rid of the pointless stories and that the ones that did deserve to stay would be re-written.

There are also some ocasional mistakes that no book about foreign languages should ever have: one "anedocte" is about a woman that travels to Brazil to talk to "Amazonian indians". As he talks about this woman, Lonsdale mentions more than once how she went there to "learn Spanish" while living with them.

Funny, as i am brazilian, and know for a fact our language is Portuguese.

Probably the hardest thing about learning Mandarin is in knowing where to start. Everything is different - the tones, characters, pronunciations.

Thankfully, I was able to read the Third Ear before starting my language learning programme in China and it really helped focus my learning style with some simple, but surprisingly effective techniques.

From creating lists of the most important glue words to looking at why children are so successful in picking up a new language, The Third Ear is very readable and motivating for anyone looking to pick up a new language - no matter what age.

I now look forward to heading back to South Africa and applying Third Ear tips to picking up Zulu!

I used the strategies and ideas in this book when preparing to go to China and study Mandarin, and I am now a fluent speaker of that language having spent just one year there.

The most useful aspect of the book is the way that it helps you avoid wasting time and energy through bad languge-learning habits. The book is full of simple and practical ideas that made my whole language learning experience a lot more fun and effective.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone serious about mastering a new language.

The way I see it, this book doesn't make me "study" foreign languages, but definitely makes me "communicate" in a new language fast, really fast.

It doesn't advise me to buy a book or get whatever authoritative material. What it provides are ready-to-use techniques to absorb and use a new language right away.

And it works! I see obvious results from applying the skills from "The Third Ear" and I find myself enjoying learning foreign languages even more! Also very interesting is that now when I observe how people around me get frustrated about foreign languages I suddenly know why!

Oh by the way it's really a fun and easy read. Perfect if you are looking for a leisure read which benefits you beyond pleasure.

I've been learning German and teaching English in Germany for the past year.
I moved here knowing maybe 20 words.
I read The Third Ear shortly after I arrived and I really appreciated the useful strategies for learning and healthy perspectives that the author provided.
Often a concept or example from The Third Ear will appear in my mind and either help me relax, be more patient, keep my perspective, or laugh at the frustration of learning a new language.

I really liked the simple but effective tips that The Third Ear gives to learners of any language. They really help to demistify the whole language process and make it seem more within your reach. I applied many of the techniques when I first moved to Brazil and well within a year I was working and "living" in Portuguese. I recommend it to my friends who also want to learn languages.

Very good book for the most part. Section 3 of the book is my favorite because this is where he gives the good tips to learning any new language. There's a nice chart that displays the important words you should learn in the beginning of a language in order to help jump start your ability to communicate. A couple of his stories do seem to be unnecessary, but they are usually a good illustration of a point that he is trying to prove. Would buy again.