This clear and informative textbook is designed to help the student achieve optimal success as a language learner and user. Aimed at beginning to intermediate undergraduates and above, it teaches students to understand their own preferences in learning, to develop individual learning plans and approaches, and to select appropriate learning strategies. The authors - all leading experts in language teaching - base their advice on theories of learning, cognition, and memory, concepts which they explain in simple and accessible terms. The book is divided into three sections - learning, language, and communication - and provides students with communicative strategies for use in real-life interaction with native speakers. Each chapter contains an overview and review section, with learning activities that students can carry out by themselves, in groups, or in the classroom. Equally suitable for use both by individuals and as a class text, this book will become an invaluable resource for all language learners.

Part I. Learning:

1. Planning foreign-language study
2. The role of cognition in second language acquisition
3. Learning styles and learning strategies
4. Understanding feelings and personality in language learning
5. Interpersonal dynamics in the learning process

Part II. Language:

6. Verbal languages
7. Sociolinguistics: the right expression
8. Unspoken communication

Part III. Independence:

9. Self-regulation and learner autonomy
10. Controlling spoken and written communication