7 Factors that Make or Break Language Learners

Do you know what makes or breaks a language learner? Why is it that some succeed in acquiring a second language and some do not? Are there factors in a person's personality, background or circumstances that play a major role in the language learning process? And if so, what are these factors and what can we do about them to help language learners become successful? All these questions came up in my mind when I was confronted with students who did not seem to learn in the usual ways and students who learned unusually fast.
In 25 years of language learning, linguistic study and teaching English as a Second Language, I have come in contact with many hundreds of language learners from all over the world and from many different backgrounds. I observed them, asked questions, thought deeply about language learning and finally decided to write down my thoughts and findings in this book. The information is organised into 7 chapters, describing factors that are crucially important in the language learning process.
I do not pretend that this list is complete. One obvious example of an important factor that is not mentioned is 'motivation'. I am sure that while you are reading this book, you will think of more. However, the 7 factors described in this book, are not always that obvious or clear-cut and need some discussion. This is not an academic book. It has been written in a style that is easy to read and is full of real-life stories and anecdotes.
You are hereby encouraged to fill in your own experiences and test the statements made about language learning and the conclusions drawn. This book is meant to make you think, give you new insights and entertain at the same time. Also, numerous activities and language learning techniques have been included for you to try out. Even experienced language teachers and language learners will still find a number of facts, ideas and activities that are interesting, unusual and useful.