MSI Press Blog

  Today's Publisher's Pride is How to Improve Your Foreign Language Immediately by Boris Shekhtman, which reached #31 in study and teaching references . the successful practices of diplomats and international journalists now available to any language learner Book description: This is the fifth edition of a popular book that provides a unique set of tools designed to enhance an individual's success in communicati0n in a foreign language environment. The devices presented allow the speaker of a foreign language to demonstrate the level of his/her language more impressively, so impressively, in fact, that it appears that the speaker's language itself has improved overnight. These techniques were developed and tested by the author with adult professionals in such varied fields as journalism, diplomacy, government, and international business. Many of these professionals have attested to the efficacy of these tools in their own columns. "This book provides the most bang...

First, some comforting news: Even native speakers make grammar mistakes. Sometimes they start a sentence one way and finish it another. Sometimes they repeat forms they hear around them. Sometimes they overgeneralize patterns. In English, for example, you'll hear many speakers say "let him alone" rather than the traditionally preferred "leave him alone." Depending on region, social group, and dialect, certain forms become common even when they differ from what grammar books prescribe. Children do this constantly while acquiring their first language. Russian-speaking children, for example, often apply genitive endings more broadly than adult grammar permits. As their language develops, those overgeneralizations gradually disappear. (This raises fascinating questions for language learners. Should a 17-year-old learner speak textbook grammar or include some of the features common among native-speaking 17-year-olds? Should learners adopt regional dialect features ...

  One of the most persistent myths about language learning is that it is a young person's game. We hear that children absorb languages effortlessly and that adults, especially older adults, are somehow "past their prime" when it comes to learning a new language. Yet the reality is far more encouraging. People over 60 learn languages every day. Some learn to communicate with grandchildren living abroad. Others prepare for travel, retirement overseas, volunteer work, or simply the pleasure of engaging with another culture. While they may not learn in exactly the same way as children, they bring unique strengths to the process that younger learners often lack. Older Learners Bring a Lifetime of Knowledge A 65-year-old language learner does not start from zero. They bring decades of life experience, educational knowledge, problem-solving skills, and understanding of how learning works. They already know how language functions. They understand grammar concepts, storytelling, p...

  One of the great myths of language learning is that near-native proficiency means being able to discuss philosophy, read literature, or negotiate a business contract. Those abilities are certainly impressive. Yet there may be a more revealing test: Near-native proficiency means you can deliver a culturally and linguistically perfect toast while drunk. Before anyone panics, the alcohol is not the point. The point is spontaneity. A prepared speech can be memorized. A business presentation can be rehearsed. A language exam can measure vocabulary and grammar. A toast is different. A toast requires the speaker to draw simultaneously on cultural knowledge, social awareness, linguistic sophistication, emotional intelligence, humor, and audience sensitivity. It is often delivered in a noisy setting with interruptions, distractions, and heightened emotions. Sometimes the speaker has had a few drinks. In other words, a toast requires language functioning under real-world conditions. For ne...