Saussure and Wittgenstein are arguably the two most important figures in the development of twentieth-century linguistic thought. By pointing out what their ideas have in common, in spite of intellectual sources, this study breaks new ground.

What makes good language learners tick? What do they do that poor learners don't do? Could we help the poor learner by teaching them some of the good learners' tricks? To forestall disappointment, let it be said at the beginning that this study does not provide definite answers to these very legitimate questions. Nevertheless, we believe it has been worth undertaking. The nature of second language learning is extremely complex and a great deal of research is needed to improve our understanding of it. In spite of much theorizing, very little has been done to study its processes directly and empirically. This study constitutes a beginning.

Three teenagers and an older scientist develop their own atomic rocket, solve their own space problems and blast off for the moon in spite of mysterious setbacks.