In the past, language learning tended to be best accomplished by studying in a formal class with a group of students looking to do the same. Under the classroom setting, language lessons are explored fully, with take-home readings and assignments usually included as supplementary materials.
While solo learning facilities were available at the time – from books to audiocassetes – they were considered secondary to studying under qualified instruction. Self-education simply lacked the interactivity and feedback mechanism that many teachers consider necessary in order to best learn language. As such, using it as your primary avenue for learning a language just isn’t the best way to achieve results.
Learning languages, on your own, while advantageous on first thought, just didn’t work too well in practice. While you were able to go through lessons in your own pace, there was nothing to measure yourself up against. As such, a lot of folks who studied language on their own typically exhibited limited absorption even after going through a whole book.
All that, of course, changed with the advent of computer-aided instruction. With major advancements in the field of language software, interactive instruction and simultaneous feedback is easily integrated into the materials, allowing students to derive the same benefits of the classroom while catching up with their lessons in the privacy of their homes.
Language learning on your own, while it was difficult many years ago, has evolved in a major way in just the last few years. You should try it sometime – it may be easier than you think.