Becoming Fluent, Richard Roberts
Becoming Fluent, Richard Roberts
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Becoming Fluent
How Cognitive Science Can Help Adults Learn a Foreign Language

Author: Richard Roberts, Roger Kreuz

Narrator: P. J. Ochlan

Unabridged: 5 hr 34 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 08/28/2015

Synopsis

Adults who want to learn a foreign language are often discouraged because they believe they cannot acquire a language as easily as children. Once they begin to learn a language, students may be further discouraged when they find the methods used to teach children don’t seem to work for them. What is an adult language learner to do?In Becoming Fluent, Richard Roberts and Roger Kreuz draw on insights from psychology and cognitive science to show that adults can master a foreign language if they bring to bear the skills and knowledge they have honed over a lifetime. Adults shouldn’t try to learn as children do; they should learn like adults. Roberts and Kreuz report evidence that adults can learn new languages even more easily than children. Children appear to have only two advantages over adults in learning a language: they acquire a native accent more easily, and they do not suffer from self-defeating anxiety about learning a language. Adults, on the other hand, have the greater advantages—gained from experience—of an understanding of their own mental processes and knowing how to use language to do things. Adults have an especially advantageous grasp of pragmatics, the social use of language, and Roberts and Kreuz show how to leverage this metalinguistic ability in learning a new language.Learning a language takes effort. But if adult learners apply the tools acquired over a lifetime, it can be enjoyable and rewarding.

About Richard Roberts

Fantasy writer Richard Roberts finds his inspiration in folk tales, fairy tales, and mythology. He is the author of Please Don't Tell My Parents I Blew Up the Moon, Wild Children, and Sweet Dreams Are Made of Teeth, among other novels.

About Roger Kreuz

Roger Kreuz is professor of psychology and associate dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Memphis. Kreuz received his bachelor’s in psychology from the University of Toledo and his PhD in cognitive psychology from Princeton University.

About P. J. Ochlan

P. J. Ochlan, an Audie Award-nominated and multiple AudioFile Earphones Award-winning narrator, has recorded close to 200 audiobooks. His acting career spans more than thirty years and has included Broadway, the New York Shakespeare Festival (under Joseph Papp), critically acclaimed feature films, and regular roles in television series. Along the way, he's worked with countless icons, including Jodie Foster, Clint Eastwood, Robin Williams, Al Pacino, and Garry Marshall.

Reviews

Goodreads review by sarah on August 21, 2020

2020 non fiction book 6 out 12 Becoming Fluent was an informative and interesting book about language learning for adults backed up by cognitive science. For some background to my experience, I have been learning French for 5 years. Throughout the way I have discovered things that have worked, andma......more

Goodreads review by Michelle on November 03, 2015

Relatively new book out of MIT Press about second language learning in adults. I felt like this book couldn't really figure out its purpose: to serve as encouragement to adults to stop feeling like the ship has sailed on language learning, to be a summary of the relevant research, or to serve as a r......more

Goodreads review by Donna on September 11, 2021

2nd read: the audio book stood up to a second reading. This book won’t teach you a language; it will help you think about how you can learn a language as an adult. So helpful. 1st Read: Wow! I expected this audiobook to be dry and a bit boring, but I absolutely loved it! I tutor adults in ESL, and I......more

Goodreads review by Benny on April 14, 2016

There are many books about language learning in general, but it's great to finally see this scientifically sound account of second language acquisition. I was constantly nodding my head at things that I know to be true as an experienced language learner and coach to language learners, explained in a......more

Goodreads review by Kalyn✨ on May 17, 2020

Nothing super new or unheard of, but interesting nonetheless! The cognitive science is for beginners and some of it is just common sense, so if you already know a bit then you may not be super satisfied. I personally didn't have an issue with it. Becoming Fluent was pretty encouraging and I recommend......more

Quotes

“The authors bring forth concepts, research, and theories in cognitive science to explain how adults learn, making this book that is packed full of useful scientific information applicable to other learning situations.” Library Journal

“There are many books about language learning in general, but it’s great to finally see this scientifically sound account of second language acquisition. I was constantly nodding my head at things that I know to be true as an experienced language learner and coach to language learners, explained in a no-nonsense way drawing on many valid sources. Recommended for people who want to know the facts about adult foreign language acquisition.” Benny Lewis, international bestselling author of Fluent in 3 Months

“Becoming Fluent is written by cognitive psychologists who lucidly demonstrate how adults can successfully learn a foreign language by utilizing strategies based on reliable cognitive science and educational psychology research. The reader will understand how and why he or she can master a new language—an insight unrealized in previous texts.” Timothy Jay, professor of psychology, Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, and author of The Psychology of Language

“This is a one-of-a-kind book that will give adult language learners the confidence they need to start or continue studying a foreign language. Engagingly written chapters draw on the authors’ personal experiences and findings from cognitive science to illustrate why language learners experience problems and explain what they can do to overcome them.” Susan R. Fussell, professor, Cornell University, and editor of The Verbal Communication of Emotions

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