Language Acquisition Made Practical: Field Methods for Language Learners is an interesting book in that it contains a method for language acquisition that can work if there aren’t any pre-existing audio programs, textbooks, grammar guides, or dictionaries. It was first published in 1976 by Lingua House. Their main goal is to “enable missionaries to be more effective communicators through more effective language and culture learning.” I won’t delve into the pros and cons of missionary work, but I wholeheartedly support learning languages. And this book doesn’t mention anything to do with missionary work, just language acquisition.
The reason the LAMP method doesn’t require any pre-existing materials is that you basically build up all of these materials yourself. It allows you to plop yourself in a community where you don’t speak a word of the language and slowly acquire it. You must be immersed in a culture that speaks the language you are learning to use the LAMP method.
The program consists of a “Daily Learning Cycle” of activities:
- Prepare what you need for the day.
- Practice what you prepare.
- Communicate what you know.
- Evaluate your needs and your progress, so you will know what to prepare for tomorrow.
It also requires you to have a language helper that is a native speaker of the language and hopefully speaks some of a language you know. You give your helper phrases you want to be able to communicate, they translate them for you and you record them speaking it. The first day’s recommended blurb is “Hello. I’m learning (name of language). This is all I can say. Goodbye.”
You practice what your helper has translated and recorded, then you go out in the community and say your speech to as many people as you can. They suggest 30-50. Then you evaluate what you’ve done and decide what you’d like to do next.
There are lots of suggestions on how to learn how to substitute other vocabulary to build up what you can communicate and build a full understanding of the language.
After explaining the process, the book answers many typical questions then it has a large set of topics and suggestions on “things to talk about”, things you should learn how to communicate in the language. Following that is a chapter about mastering the sounds of the language, followed by a chapter on formalizing the grammar.
I bought the version that came with an example tape, but I don’t have a tape player handy…At some point, I’ll dig up an old walkman and listen to it. I bought the book and tape directly from Lingua House. You have to mail a check and order form, but it’s the best deal.
I haven’t tried the method, but I got some good ideas from it. The part of forcing yourself to give your prepared speech to as many people as possible and the various section on things to talk about helped me. I think it would definitely be a good method for an anthropologist or anyone going into a culture where you can’t read books or take language classes or watch tv in the language you are learning.
Author: E. Thomas Brewster
Pages: 382
ISBN: 0916636003