A practical reference for university and senior secondary school students. Theories are explained in straight-forward language, including factors that affect the learning of languages, such as motivation, memory and a range of strategies initiated by students themselves. Examples are taken from the beginner to advanced levels, including print and other media, individual and class study. Students report their use of computers and how they have approached the learning of culture. A final chapter has advice on taking examinations.

'How to Study Foreign Languages is the latest in the growing range of Macmillan Study Guides, and it will be useful for both students and tutors at any stage in the annual teaching and learning cycle. It spells out the whole process involved in acquiring a language and puts into perspective all those courses with names like Bulgarian made easy or Latvian without tears that make people think that there is little effort and no real challenge in becoming fluent in someone else's language...The book is useful, practical and insightful.' - Tim Connell, (Director of Language Studies, City University) Times Higher Education Supplement

Introduction
PART ONE: WHAT IS INVOLVED IN LEARNING A LANGUAGE
Choosing a Language and a Course
Knowing a Language. What Does it Mean?
Language Learning: Comparisons and Contrasts
Language Learning: Memory and Motivation
Setting and Reaching Goals
Keeping a Learning Journal
PART TWO; SPECIFIC STRATEGIES FOR LANGUAGE ACQUISITION
Vocabulary Learning
Listening to a New Language
Speaking Fluently
Reading for Several Purposes
Literature in the Language Course
Writing in a New Language
Culture and Language Learning
Language Examinations
Further Reading
Questionnaire
Acknowledgements
Index

MARILYN LEWIS is Senior Lecturer at the Institute of Language Teaching and Learning at the University of Auckland, New Zealand.