AT ABOUT THIS POINT the weak-hearted reader usually sits down in the road, removes his shoes and weeps that he 'is a bad linguist' or that he or she can't possibly learn all those languages. One has to divide the readers who want to be experts from those who do not, and divide, as it were, those who want to see the world from those who merely want to know WHAT PART OF IT THEY LIVE IN.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Some readers quit learning languages due to fear, but one must distinguish between those seeking expertise and those merely seeking local knowledge.
- In plain terms
- Decide if you want to be an expert or just understand your immediate surroundings.
- What can you take from it?
- Set clear goals for learning to avoid being overwhelmed by scope.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- What do you hope to gain from learning?
- Is expert knowledge necessary for you?
Another view
This splits readers into categories that might overlap in practice.
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