Book: The Five-Minute Linguist
Chapter: What does it take to learn a language well?
Blurb:
Speaking another language fluently isn’t a matter of IQ or academic smarts. Nor is it a matter of youth. Classroom experience and prolonged interaction with people who speak the language is necessary in order to learn a language well. Learning a language well means being able to do much more than just get a meal, a hotel room or a train ticket. It requires motivation and a serious time commitment.