Let's face it, Brian was one of the first to stem the tide of ginormous overoptimism in the language-learning field .. wherever that particular muddy meadow might be .... a little delving has found ....
Anyway, back to the serious business ... so, I nicked his title, but felt he was himself being a tad overoptimistic ... he admits it quite early on in the book ... " Learn Greek in 25 years ? .. No chance!"
Another brilliant thing about this book, apart from its brutal honesty, is it's sensible down-to-earth approach. He knows what we need to know ..... let's take a look at some of his chapter headings ..
Lesson One ... Welcome to Greek ! you haven't a chance.
Lesson 4 .........Getting on the bus.(Key phrase "what colour is this bus?)
Lesson 5 ..........Getting off the bus.( Key phrase "get out of the bloody way")
Lesson 10 .........Sweet, succulent and just asking for it.
Lesson 17 ..........The Bible
Lesson 18 ...........An army of lips
Lesson 21 ...........Bishop takes Aunty Gladys:Improving your chess.[no to drugs.Yes to chess]
Lesson 25 ..........The
Yes, lesson 25 is JUST about "the" !!
So ... what is the lesson from all of this hyperbole, exaggeration and downright swindling?
The message is, as far as I'm concerned .... don't think of your language learning in terms of "time." Just think of it as a process which, with ups and downs along the way, gradually increases your skills ..... and remember , Life is not an EXAM ! On your gravestone it's not going to say " he was crap at Spanish" , but it might well say "she loved Spanish."
Er .. it's all got a bit serious and mawkish now ... I do apologise .... we'll move on quickly to music ... this is quite stirring ... Vanessa Martin and Trampas ...
A veces me cuestiono las decisiones
A veces me desvelo de madrugadas...
pongo trampas en la cama, cayandome la voz.
De pronto me doy cuenta que el mar nos tragó
me voy a costumbrando a esta realidad...
pero otras veces me revelo y te aprisionan los critales y mi habitacion...
[Estribillo]
Me da pena,
tenerte y no tenerte...
me da pena,
por que te busco entre la gente.
Me da pena,
saber que todo escapa...
Me da pena,
ni siquiera mirarnos a la cara...
Después de aquello nada más se supo,
después de tanto como me gustabas,
pero hay momentos en que tal vez no es el tiempo de arriesgar por que hay heridas que cerrar en mi interior.
De pronto una canción me lleva a ti,
de nuevo hay un pellizco en este corazón.
Y yo.. y yo sigo con mil trampas en la cama,
echandome agua a la cara cada vez que oigo tu nombre...
[Estribillo]
Me da pena,
tenerte y no tenerte...
me da pena,
por que te busco entre la gente.
Me da pena,
saber que todo escapa...
Me da pena,
ni siquiera mirarnos...
Me da pena, tenerte y no tenerte...
Me da pena, por que te busco entre la gente.
Me da pena, saber que todo escapa,
me da pena, ni siquiera mirarnos...
(bis)