The Power of Pocketbooks

Let’s say that you’ve just decided to start learning a new language.

Let’s also say that language is French, simply for the sake of an example. So, you head on over to the local bookstore and buy the biggest book on French you can find. It’s huge, maybe around 800 large pages, and really makes you feel that you’re about to accomplish something. Or, maybe it intimidates you simply due to its sheer size and comprehensiveness. "How can I possibly learn all that?" you wonder.

This, however, is the wrong question. The question you should be asking is...

How am I going to fit that in my pocket?

Having a comprehensive guide that you can study from is very useful, but this type of book is likely too large to take with you during your daily routine. Unless you like lugging around a 20-pound book and hauling it out on the train (maybe you’re trying to lose weight?), you’re probably not going to do it. So, what you need is a small pocket guide that is both portable and to-the-point. These little study "novels" are usually specialized to some sort of topic, such as grammar, vocabulary, or simple travel language. They’re easy to whip out and take a look at, whenever and wherever.

I recommend avoiding the travel-oriented guides and sticking to something more practical. Also, guides that specialize in simplistic phrasebook-style language are often written by people who are not experts in the language. While studying Japanese, I noticed a large amount of contradictory information in these types of books. Additionally, the many subtleties existing in Japanese meant that some of the phrases were not the best suited to their intended meaning.

In short – they were written by people who didn’t speak the language well enough.

On the other hand, anyone who aspires to write a grammar guide must have an intimate, detailed knowledge of the target language. While a little drier than other topics, grammar is an excellent start because it also teaches vocabulary through its examples. Grammar guides also stick to a manageable core of vocabulary, leading to the repetition that is so necessary for learning a language. The important part, though, is that you can take it with you and at least look at it every single day.

This is important for many reasons.

First, daily study is the most important element when learning anything. Second, even if you don’t really pay that much attention to what you’re reading, your brain will still absorb some of it. These structures and words will worm their way into your subconscious and just might pop out again when you need them. Finally, the best way to use these guides is to read and re-read. Don’t only go in a straight line; duck and weave your way through the book to make sure you get the most out of it. If you see something that you don’t understand, then come back to it later. Other elements you learn elsewhere in the book may unlock it for you, or perhaps you just need time to process it. Either way, the repetition will drill the vocab into your head with contextualized examples that will help you remember them better.

Now, I’m not making a product placement here, but the Barron’s series of grammar, vocabulary, and phrasebooks suits this purpose very well. The aptly-named and well-written Japanese Grammar 2002 helped me overcome a lot of the difficulties I had in understanding both spoken and written Japanese.

It also fit nicely into my pocket.