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you’d want to confine your tennis playing to one partner。 The ideal cassette library is one
in which the student can pull down a cassette for review in rotation and not quite
remember how the dialogue goes or what’s coming next。 A little mystery； rather than rote
familiarity； aids the student ear in its difficult mission of paying attention。
Within certain obvious limits； you can buy literally every course in your target
language that’s commercially available and still describe your adventure with the
language as “inexpensive。”
In your beginning stages you should insist on cassettes that come with a written
transcript of everything recorded。 （The Pimsleur courses are an exception。 Their
integration of written word exercises and their back and forth interaction between teacher
and student more than excuse the absence of word for word transcription。）
It’s a good idea to follow the text visually as you listen to the cassette the first few
times。 As you get a little bit familiar with the target material； divorce the two。 Take the
cassette and the tape player with you。 Listen even when you can’t follow the written text。
Read the text even when you can’t listen。 You’ll find the two excellent reinforcers for
each other。
If your cassette course is flat single rep or flat double rep； keep listening over and
over and try to capture as many words and phrases as you can。
When you’re ready – actually； long before you’re ready – challenge the cassette to a
duel。 Start at the beginning and see how many words and phrases you know。 After the
English； stop the cassette recorder with the pause button and ask yourself； “Do I know it
in the target language？ Do I almost know it？ Do I know any part of it – how the word or
phrase begins； how it ends； what major sound characterises it？ Do I know enough to give
myself credit for at least partial conquest？”
Don’t be in a rush to release the pause button and see how well you did。 Make a
teasing game of it。 Make yourself wait for the fulfillment of hearing the term in the target
language。 That will make a stronger hit into your memory。 Drop a weighty object from a
higher tower than previously and it will sink deeper into the mud。
Then move on to the next term。 It’s a little like playing solitaire； no matter how you
write your own rules； it still retains the arresting power of a game。 Maybe you’ll ask
yourself if you can score one out of five correct； later； one out of four。 It’s hard to
imagine it in the early going； but you will eventually play the game by seeing if you can
get every term on the cassette correct from beginning to end。 But that’s not quite total
victory。 Total victory is seeing if you can do it without stopping to think。
And then； if your machine has the mechanism； try it at accelerated speed！
Hidden Moments
They taught us in the fable of the tortoise and the hare so early； most of us dismissed it as
a children’s tale and ignored the powerful lesson it contains： Others may be brighter。
Others may learn quicker and retain more。 Yet whosoever keeps on plodding relentlessly
toward the goal of mastering another language； though his gifts be dim； stands a better
chance than the unmotivated genius whose dazzle ignited so much envy in high school
Spanish class。
Harnessing your hidden moments； those otherwise meaningless scraps of time
you’d normally never think of putting to any practical use； and using them for language
study – even if it’s no more than fifteen； ten； or five seconds at a time – can turn you into
a triumphant tortoise。
By now you’re slogging your way through the grammar and enjoying it more （or
suffering it less） than you did in college because you no longer feel obliged to dwell upon
a knotty point until you understand it before moving forward。 You will not fail a test or
risk a bad grade if you abandon some grammatical black hole that tries to swallow you；
and move on ahead。
You’re battling your way through the foreign language newspaper； your slow
progress mitigated by the awareness that this is the real world and the daily language
won’t get any tougher than that text。
You’re cherry picking through your phrase book； learning how to say practical
things in your target language and rehearsing all those precious phrases as though they
were your part in a play。
Your cassettes are beginning to bore you without teaching you a great deal （yet）。
You’re amassing a flash card collection。
By now you’ve probably met someone from the country whose language you’re
learning and； like a rookie cop about to make his first collar； you risked your ego by
attempting a greeting。 He laughed appreciatively – and answered you in English。
Hidden moments will heal your deficiencies soon enough； but first let’s talk about
the unhidden moments； the study time you’ve arranged to commit to your endeavour。
This book is written for those who can’t or don’t want to expend the time or money
required to attend formal classes。 Successful self teaching is our objective。 If you can
take a whole hour every day and devote it to your studies； you’re in excellent position to
make satisfying； even dramatic； progress。 If you can devote a half hour a day； you’re still
poised for success。
If you can’t commit a regular block of time； if the best you can do is an hour here； a
half hour there； and maybe a three hour block of time over the weekend； that’s
satisfactory； provided you keep it up and maintain momentum。
Gardens unattained go to weed。 Apples bitten into and abandoned turn brown。
Likewise； your collection of language data – words； phrases； rules； and idioms – will
dissolve into a useless mass if not kept up。
Apportion as much time as you reasonably can and as regularly as you can； and
then enjoy the magic as the hidden moments kick in。
A professional financial advisor on radio once urged people to take careful
inventory of their financial assets； promising that overlooked and forgotten riches were to
be revealed at every hand。 Her credibility disappeared for me at that moment。 I honestly
think I’ve never been at a point in my economic life where I was likely to underestimate
my holdings by as much as seventy…five cents！
When it comes to time； however； that’s a much more lucrative matter！
You can learn a language in twelve months using only those moments you didn’t
realise you had。
We’ve already mentioned a few corners in which hidden moments lurk awaiting
liberation。 Let’s review them and add some more。
Moments we instinctively bid goodbyes to include those spent waiting for and
riding in elevators； waiting for the person you’re dialing to answer； waiting while he puts
you on hold； waiting for a long outgoing message from someone’s answering machine to
reach its conclusion。 There are those moments when you’re helplessly trapped – when
someone who’s too good a friend to hang up on delivers an unending narrative requiring
no verbal participation on your part beyond an occasional grunt； groan； “dear me；” “gee
whiz；” or other appropriate interjection to let him know you’re still there。 It’s usually safe
to divert some of your attention from your friend to your flash cards。
There’s a major payload of hidden moments right there； and we haven’t even gone
beyond the elevator and the telephone！ We can take time back from our days just like the
Dutch took land back from the sea and put it to work。
What do you normally do when you’re waiting in line at the bank； the post office；
the airline counter； the bus or train station； or the supermarket checkout counter？
What do you do while you brush your teeth？ You could be listening to a language
cassette。 What plans have you made for the time you’re going to spend waiting behind
your steering wheel at the gas pump？ Or waiting for the rinse cycle？ Waiting for the
school bus？
You get the point。 An honest； thorough scrutiny of your normal week will yield
dozens； even hundreds； of minutes that can be put to work learning your target language。
And don’t forget； a scrap of time need be no longer than five seconds to advance you
closer to your goal。
Arrange your life so you will never be caught without something to study in your
target language。 If you carry a briefcase or a pocketbook； your grammar book or
newspaper； even your dictionary； can be your companion。 Phrase books are usually so
thin they easily fit into a coat pocket。 There’s nothing holy about your foreign language
newspaper。 Cut off a page and fold it up and carry it with you； along with your
highlighter。
Certainly we can all agree there’s no excuse ever to get caught without flash cards。
The instant you get stymied – in line at the cash machine； waiting for a store clerk； etc。 –
pull out your deck of flash cards and get to work。
If your hidden moment only lasts five seconds； giving you time for only