Cooper Thompson

This was a book I was really looking forward to - I have just started learning German (like the author) and before this had only learned languages to 'tourist' level, and no languages like German. So I thought this book would be useful either with tips on how to learn or as an exploration of the difficulties of learning another language. But I didn't really get either from this book. Part of that is the writing style - I found the writing was very simplistic, it didn't flow and in parts was arduous to read. I also found it was just not that interesting. It seemed to be very much an expansion on the journal the author kept and I kept finding myself reading passages and thinking 'yes, but why would the reader really care about that?'
Going by the other reviews here on LT I am in a minority when it comes to views on this book, so perhaps I have missed something or thought it would be more tailored to where I am as a language learner due to the similarities with my own situation.… (más)

Cooper Thompson is an American who had learned some French and Spanish, wanted to learn Italian, and could envision himself living in a Romance country. His life took a far different turn when he fell in love with a German woman. They subsequently married and moved to her native land. Thompson then began the task of learning a language that sounded harsh and that he (like many others) associated with Hitler and the Nazis.

He chronicles his emotions as he plunges into the work of learning a new language as an adult and finds himself in a similar position to a child acquiring language for the first time. At times he has tantrums because he cannot make himself understood. Sometimes he keeps silent because he doesn't have the words to convey his thoughts accurately. He feels helpless and dependent because he is unable to speak his mind. He feels a loss of identity and his self-esteem diminishes as a sense of loneliness and not belonging increase. He fears coming across as stupid or child-like. He feels impotent for having lost his adult voice as well as marginalized or ignored as someone who has nothing to contribute. He also must deal with the stress and physical effects of putting so much effort into what is for most of us the simple everyday activity of communicating. He regrets the loss of nuance in his speech and feels less himself than when speaking his native English.

Thompson also comments on the German culture and their treatment of immigrants. Social context is important as illustrated by the correct form of the word you: in most cases, du is used only with family and very close friends of many years. Sie is more commonly used but Thompson shocks his wife by suggesting that everyone from shopkeepers and neighbors to doctors use the familiar du with him. He finds that Germans are more willing to do this with him because he is American and the usage tends to decrease the social distance between them. He learns that immigrants from other countries such as Turkey often feel excluded. Many Germans appear overly formal and standoffish and are less than welcoming to immigrants. He also notes that Germans seem uncomfortable with compliments. In addition, there is the large difference between the standard German he is learning and the local dialect his wife speaks which he does not understand.

Eventually Thompson becomes more comfortable using German as he accepts that he will never understand everything that is said and that he will never achieve perfection in his own speaking. His outgoing personality helps and as he says, communication is more than words.

This is an easy to read account of learning a new language and culture in mid-life which covers the fears, stresses and successes that one can expect to encounter. References are included for those who wish to know more about learning a second language.… (más)

This was an interesting book for me to read, as a learner of many, many languages as well as one with a research interest in second language learning. I believe that a lot of the language-learning process is illuminated in this book, particularly the immersive process—it's absolutely exhausting, for one, which so many people don't take into consideration (because, well, an hour of a foreign language three times a week is doable), and it's a very emotional process as you learn to communicate and connect in different ways with people.

The writing style bothered me—very choppy and childish, to the point where I had to put the book down a few times. At times, I felt he was incredibly naive about how difficult it is to learn a language. But who knows—my gauge for language learning is all topsy-turvy.

Overall, I found this book very relatable and definitely worth the quick read. I've already recommended it to my boyfriend, who's doing his best to learn a whole lot of German.… (más)