"Learning a language is easy. Even a child can do it!" Most adults who are learning a second language would disagree with this statement. For them, learning a language is a very difficult task. They need hundreds of hours of study and practice, and even this will no guarantee success for every adult language learner. Language learning is different from other kinds of learning. Some people who are very intelligent and successful in their fields find it difficult to succeed in language learning. Conversely, some people who are successful language learners find it difficult to succeed in other fields. Language teachers often offer advice to language learners: "Read as much as you can in the new language." "Practice speaking the language every day." "Live with people who speak the language." "Don't translate - try to think in the new language." "Learn as a child would learn; play with the language." But what does a successful language learner do? Language learning research shows that successful language learners are similar in many ways. First of all, successful language learners are independent learners. They do not depend on the book or the teacher; they discover their own way to learn the language, Instead of waiting for the teacher to explain, they try to find the patterns and the rules for themselves. They are good guessers who look for clues and form their own conclusions. When they guess wrong, they guess again. They try to learn from their mistakes. Successful language learning is active learning. Therefore, Successful learners do not wait for a chance to use the language; they look for such a chance. They find people who speak the language and they ask these people to correct them when they make a mistake. They will try anything to communicate. They are not afraid to repeat what they hear or to say strange things; they are willing to make mistakes and try again. When communication is difficult, they can accept information what is inexact or incomplete. It is more important for them to learn to think in the language than to know the meaning of very word. Finally, successful language learners are learners with a purpose. They want to learn the language because they are interested in the language and the people who speak it. It is necessary for them to learn the language in order to communicate with these people and to learn from them. They find it easy to practice using the language regularly because they want to learn with it. What kind of language learner are you? If you are a successful language learner, you have probably been learning independently, actively, and purposefully. On the other hand, if your language learning has been less than successful, you might do well to try some of the techniques outlined above.

"学会一种语言是很容易的。甚至一个小孩子都能学会！" 正在学习又一种语言的大多数成年人往往都不会同意这种说法。对成年人来说，学习另一种语言是很难的事。他们需要数个小时去钻研去练习，结果即使是这样，也不一定保证每一个语言的成年人都能学成功。学习语言跟学习其他事物是不同的。有一些人很聪明，在他们自己的专业领域里很有成就，可是却发现很难学会第二种语言。有些人学习语言方面很成功，可是却发现要在其他专业领域取得成就确非易事。语言教师常向学习者提出建议："尽可能地用你新学语言文字去大量阅读"。"每天都练习说这种语言"。"与操这种语言的人生活在一起"。"不要通过翻译--昼用新学的语言去思考"。"像小孩学话那样；用这种新语言去做游戏"。那么，凡是能学会一种新语言的人都是怎么学的呢？语言学习的研究表明凡是能学会一种新语言的人很多方面都是相似的。首先，凡是学语言学得成功的人都是独立自学的人。他们不领带书本也不依赖老师。他们总是要去发现适合自己的学语言的方法。他们不是等着让教师来解释，而是自己新自去发现各种和各项规则。他们能找出线索善于猜测，善于形成自己的结论。若猜错了，他们就再猜。他们从错误中学乖。其次，凡是会学习语言的人都是积极主动的去学的。因此，学得成功的人都不是坐等机会来了才去使用这种语言。他们主动找寻使用这种语言的机会。一旦他们说或写错了，他们就去请操这种语言的人给予纠正。他们千方百计地去沟通。他们不怕重复听他们所听过的事物。他们非常愿意出了错以后再设法改正。如果沟通有困难，他们也能接受不大确切或不大完整的信息。对他们来说，学会用所学的语言来思考比学会每个单词的意思更重要。最后，凡是会学习语言的人都有一个明确的学习目的。他们之所以要学这种语言，那是因为他们对这种语言和操这种语言的人民都感兴趣。对他们来说，学会这种语言以便同这些人交际拼向他们学习是非常必要的。因为他们想学会这种语言，所以他们认为不断地练习实际应用这种语言是轻松愉快的。您是哪一类型的学习语言的人呢？如果你在学语言上是很有成就的，那也许你就正是这种能独立自学，能积极主动并有明确学习目的的人。反之，假如你学语言学得不大成功，那你最好试一试上述列举的这些学习的方法或技巧。