This is what happens when you don't use it! (Spoiler : you lose it!)

 

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Recently, I returned to a book that has been on my shelves for a little while; Elisabeth Smith's Fast-Track Russian, from the Teach Yourself range of educational books. I had no reason for learning some basic Russian when I bought the book, just an interest in trying something new. After buying the book, some years ago now, I went through the book once, and then it returned to my shelves and, as far as I can recall, wasn't disturbed again until a couple of weeks ago.

Elisabeth Smith's Fast-Track Russian

Elisabeth Smith has written a number of books for the Teach Yourself range. In fact, to quote the blurb on the back of my copy of Fast-Track Russian, "Elisabeth Smith has published more than 30 books, CDs and DVDs in 11 different languages. She has taught audiences all over the world." 

And, in this book, the author sets out a course which, if the reader follows the structure of said course, can have the reader speaking Russian in just six weeks. Not fluent Russian, of course. But just enough that you might be able to get by in a casual conversation or two in a Russian speaking part of the world.

When I tried to learn Russian from Elisabeth Smith . . .

I decided fairly early on that I would not strictly follow the course, which was probably my first mistake. Other people's structures and designs on my time are anathema to me. And, besides, my own approach seemed to be working just fine. For a while.

I think I was about half way through the book when I realised I was losing interest. Not that I stopped. I endured. But it became much more noticeably a chore than it had been when I started the book. I kept on at the lessons and reached the end of the book, but it was more about enduring than enjoying the process by the time I reached the end. However, this had nothing to do with the book itself. I just had no opportunities to use what I was learning, you see. And so, many of the words and rules waned and faded in my mind.

The result

I can probably pluck a few disparate Russian words from my memory and construct something resembling a sentence. But someone for whom Russian is their first language may find me hard to understand. Some English speaking people find me hard to understand though, to be fair, so . . .

As I read the book, I had some successes with the tests and progress tracking exercises within. But, I'm afraid, much of that has passed from the surface of my mind down into the cellar levels. There they are, the words and rules, gathering dust like bottles racked. Perhaps I could go down there and pluck them out if I should need them. But, the problem is that I just don't have much need to use them. I fear that, unlike fine wines that improve with time, the knowledge I have acquired and bottled in my mind's cellar, may be more like milk, and if I go down there to open up a bottle after too long, I will just find a lumpy and off-putting mess.

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